Sheffield MP urges government to step in to save Doncaster Sheffield Airport

Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, has written to Grant Shapps, secretary of state for transport, and the board of the Peel Group demanding action to save the region’s only airport.

The site, which is part of Peel Airports, handles more than a million passengers annually and flies to 50 destinations.

But the board of the airport said it may no longer be commercially viable.

It cited recent problems including Covid-19, environmental considerations and the impact of airline Wizz Air cancelling flights.

Ms Haigh said: “The announcement from Peel Group is extremely worrying for jobs and investment in South Yorkshire. Peel must not renege on the ambition that has been set for our airport and our region.

“The Government has completely failed to support the aviation sector as we recover from Covid, and jobs have been lost as a result.

“Today, I have written to the secretary of state for transport Grant Shapps to demand that he take every possible step to secure the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, including securing far better public transport links to the airport. The Government has neglected the aviation industry in its recovery and must now do everything in its power to support our region.

“I have also written to the board of Peel Group to ask that they reconsider this decision and to offer to work with them to secure the future of the airport. South Yorkshire has invested in Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Peel Group, and we now need to see the same level of investment from Peel.”

A six-week consultation will take place to decide the airport’s future, with passengers told it would be operating as normal during the strategic review.

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In a statement, Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) and the Peel Group said it had “never achieved the critical mass required to become profitable”.

It called a shortfall in passenger numbers a “fundamental issue”, with the withdrawal of Wizz Air flights leaving TUI as the airport’s only airline with aircraft permanently based on site.