Doncaster Sheffield airport, which has stood largely derelict since its 2022 closure, is set to reopen after South Yorkshire leaders approved a £160 million funding package intended to restart freight operations in 2026 and resume passenger services by the end of 2027.
The funding was approved by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority on Sept. 9, according to Doncaster Council. The vote, which the council said included leaders from Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster as well as South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, clears the way for a phased restoration of the former regional hub.
Peel Group, which owned the airport, closed the site in 2022 after declaring the business unviable. Before its closure, Doncaster Sheffield handled about 1.4 million passengers a year to some 54 destinations. The site has been unused for three years, with local officials and business groups seeking ways to revive operations.
City of Doncaster officials and Fly Doncaster said freight operations are expected to begin in the summer of 2026, with bookings for passenger flights anticipated by the end of that year. The council said flights carrying passengers would be expected to run by late 2027, allowing for a winter 2027/28 holiday season.
Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones described the approval as the start of a broad programme of work to restore the airport’s operational capability. "We have not been sitting idly by waiting to see if this funding will be agreed, we have carried on with our work to prepare for our airport to be fully reopened," she said, outlining plans to recruit senior management roles and to work with Munich Airport International as a strategic partner.
Local officials said the immediate tasks include recruiting essential managerial posts, redesigning local airspace with the Civil Aviation Authority, and reinstating critical ground infrastructure such as radar, air traffic control and the airport fire service. The first tranche of senior managerial roles was scheduled to be advertised in the week following the funding approval, the council said.
Officials framed the funding as an economic stimulus for the wider South Yorkshire region. Jones said she viewed the airport as a potential catalyst for business and industry and an opportunity to create jobs and expand local transport links.
The £160 million package follows lengthy negotiations among local authorities, private operators and prospective partners over how to revive the site after its commercial closure. While the funding clears a major political hurdle, council statements and officials’ timelines show that operational restoration will proceed in stages and depend on regulatory approvals, infrastructure delivery and successful recruitment of key staff.
Doncaster Sheffield’s planned phased reopening reflects broader regional efforts in the United Kingdom to maintain and expand transport links for freight and passengers. If the stated timetable holds, freight flights will resume first in 2026, with passenger ticketing and services following in the 2026–27 timeframe and full passenger operations expected by the end of 2027.