On 26 September, Doncaster Sheffield Airport announced that it would close. A strategic review of the viability and future of the UK airport is forthcoming. The decision seemed inevitable and expected. It means the end of the airport for passenger airlines, cargo carriers, business jets, flight courses and more. The airport will be transformed into a logistics and storage complex.
Lacking an advantageous position, being relatively close to several other airports including Manchester, East Midlands and Leeds Bradford, Doncaster Sheffield Airport will no longer exist.
Robert Hough, chairman of Peel Airports Group, owner of Doncaster, said: “We recognize that this will be a huge disappointment to many. The problem remains the fundamental and insufficient current or future revenue streams, along with the airport's high operating costs."
Peel Group CEO Steven Underwood said: "We will not accept any public sector grant [government funding] to cover the costs of an airport that is not viable due to a lack of adequate revenue and high operating costs."
The airport previously said it had accumulated losses of £170m and is anticipating a further £45m loss over the next five years. The closure of Wizz Air UK's base at the airport didn't help, and Doncaster Sheffield Airport was underserved by passenger (and cargo) volumes.
Despite missing the minimum number of passengers required, Doncaster Sheffield unveiled a £10 million terminal expansion project in January 2020, along with plans for a train line and more. Clearly, the plan was ambitious enough and a bright enough future was announced, especially with the Wizz Air base that opened that year.
Currently, only Wizz Air, Tui and BH Air fly to/from Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Ryanair, Flybe, easyJet, Aer Lingus have flown in the past but have closed their operations. Wizz Air flies from Doncaster Sheffield to Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca. Tickets can still be bought in the reservation system after October 31, but flights will probably be cancelled.
The British airport did not enjoy too many passengers. Between 2005 and 2021, approximately 15 million people crossed its threshold. The best year was 2019 when 1.4 million passengers were registered.