Consultation on airport flight paths opens

A consultation has begun over potential noise concerns around arrival and departure routes when Doncaster Sheffield Airport reopens.

The airport, which closed in 2022, is due to resume passenger flights in 2028, but currently has no form of airspace control.

City of Doncaster Council said it was sponsoring an airspace change proposal to reinstate controlled airspace, and eventually reintroduce the arrival and departure routes.

Christian Foster, director for airport operator FlyDoncaster, said: "We want to hear from people who live or work in the district and surrounding areas. This is a genuine chance to feed back your views and have your say."

A consultation document details planned flight paths and shows the area affected by arrivals, covering Hexthorpe in the west to Epworth in the east, and Bawtry and Harworth in the south to Sykehouse in the north.

Doncaster Council said the consultation sought to work with local people, adapting proposals where possible, as the impact of the airport reopening may introduce concerns with noise.

Mayor Ros Jones said the process of reopening the airport was continuing "at pace", but there was no update on the lease renegotiation between the airport landowners, Peel Group, and the authority.

Significant funding from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) cannot be made available to Doncaster Council until the lease's successful renegotiation.

The public funding package is worth more than £160m, but councillors were told in July 2026 that the reopening could "run out" of money in September.

Without extra funding, members said they were told the reopening would be "over basically".

Mayor Jones said: "We are determined to see the airport fully reopen as soon as possible and reach its full potential."

According to a timeline set out by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the organisation aims to make a decision on the airspace in May 2027.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport cannot return to full operations without approved airspace.

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