#saveDSA_Airport

a twitter account and a Facebook group set up to raise awareness to help
SAVE Doncaster Sheffield Airport

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

well well !!

BANNED FROM MPS FACEBOOK GROUP BECAUSE I DEFENDED MYSELF

Our local conservative mp @NickFletcherMP who is my mp
has posted on facebook this morning
His views on me and the facebook group are quite interesting

see quote/copy here

---------------------------------

"10. The Save DSA page is run by an admin that has been seemingly captured by the local Labour politicians and will now be used to help their local election campaign.
11. I am prevented from commenting or posting on that group page so please visit mine for the facts and any rebuttal to their nonsense.

---------------------------------------

i replied back to defend myself with these comments he doesnt like my version
HE BANNED ME FROM HIS PAGE !!!

----------------------------------------
What's up Nick Fletcher MP what's with the comments about me and the Facebook group

It's an airport group
HERE TO SUPPORT GETTING THE AIRPORT OPEN

Your constant scrutiny and divisive comments will not help

Your dysfunctional relationship with our Authorities will not help

If anything it's embarrassing

I sincerely hope that non of the investors looking at Doncaster and our Airport don't run a mile

There is an opportunity here to get more funding for Doncaster towards our Airport

You say
your on it and doing everything you can

Yet you don't support getting more money for our city and airport

I would think it would be in your Constituents best interests to support this issue

As mentioned before I actually voted for you your my MP

I'm an independent person who runs a Facebook group to support getting our airport open
Yet you and your supporters seem to think its OK to constantly have a go at me

Take a look at yourself old lad please

I have asked you and Oliver Coppard to work together along with Doncaster Council to get our airport reopened Yet all we see is this crap from you

Why don't you want the City and region to have more funding ??
It would benefit your Constituents and that's why your here isn't it ???

#saveDSA #itsnotover

[BBC Sheffield @BBCSheffield]

Reform UK drop opposition to airport reopening loan https://t.co/vkmLMTKunv

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

E-mail sent to all party leaders at Doncaster Council Ahead of the meeting tomorrow
Good afternoon everyone,

I felt it was important to write to you all before tomorrow morning’s EGM.

Over the last four years, I’ve reflected often on what we achieved together through #saveDSA during my time as an admin of the campaign.

Together, we secured around 130,000 signatures across the Change dot org petition, the GMB petition, and the Nick Fletcher petition.

Collectively across social media, more than 42,000 people followed, supported, and participated under the #saveDSA banner.

Before closure, the airport supported:

800 direct jobs

1,900 indirect jobs

Around £100 million added to the regional economy

That is despite claims from Peel that DSA itself made no money.

The decision tomorrow is another stepping stone, another hurdle in the ongoing fight to achieve our collective goal of reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Over the last four years, I have often returned to this quote because it perfectly reflects what has happened here in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and the surrounding areas:

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

Margaret J. Wheatley

Margaret Wheatley, a leadership thinker and expert in organisational behaviour, reminds us that lasting change rarely comes from authority, pressure, or individual effort alone.

Real transformation begins when people recognise what truly matters to them and choose to move forward together with shared purpose, courage, and determination.

Real change begins when people care together.

Tomorrow’s meeting is an opportunity to recognise exactly that.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport means far more than a building or a runway. It represents opportunity, connectivity, investment, jobs, pride, and future growth for the whole region.

Yes, this project may not make a profit for many years, but the wider benefits of a reopened DSA, jobs, investment, opportunities, and increased business rates, would deliver long-term value to the region.

We only need to look at the steel and automotive industries, both of which have received significant financial backing from central government in recent years, to understand that some projects are worth supporting because of the broader economic and social benefits they bring.

So, to those with the power to influence decisions tomorrow:

Our Communities across South Yorkshire and beyond have already demonstrated how deeply they care about safeguarding this airport and everything it stands for.

This is a chance to listen to that collective voice and to help shape a future built on ambition, collaboration, and long-term regional benefit.

Strong leadership is not only about economic decisions.

It is also about listening to the public voice and recognising the strength of a united community and the future it believes in.

Mark Chadwick
#saveDSA

@DoncasterDamian
@MayorRos @SouthYorksMayor @MyDoncaster @SouthYorksMCA @DonnyFreePress @yorkshirepost

[Michael Hanks @Michaelflying28]

Happy International Firefighters' Day to all the firefighters around the world and thanks for keeping us safe every day. 

Seen here is Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-300 G-VGBR Golden Girl departing Doncaster Airport with Doncaster Airport ARFF Cobra 7.8.20.

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

DSA today with the first commercial jet aircraft since the closure in 2022

https://t.co/0KLa7uIDPw

[Ros Jones - Mayor of Doncaster @MayorRos]

The first large jet to arrive at DSA since its closure in 2022 has successfully landed, marking a major milestone in the project to reopen the site.

@_2excel Boeing 727 landed for a short visit to the company’s facility in Doncaster, which currently employs around 200 people.

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

https://t.co/kNTuek3Gbj website live today

Info on latest news, vacancies, contact page, newsletter plus more

@MayorRos @MyDoncaster
@SouthYorksMayor @SouthYorksMCA
@DoncasterDamian
@DonnyFreePress @yorkshirepost

#saveDSA #saveDSAairspace #syorksairportcity #teamdoncaster #teamDSA #investment #aviation #localeconomy #regionalsupport #teameffort #teamDSA #investment #doncasterisgreat #teamsouthyorkshire #aviation #localeconomy #regionalsupport #teameffort

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

@hharrisonjourno When we all take part in general or local elections, perhaps some people don't like the outcome,

Sometimes we don't get all the info at the time or things change once the people who won get into office.

Can we have another vote ??

[Michael Hanks @Michaelflying28]

30 years ago today was the first flight of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.

Seen here is Royal Air Force Lockheed Martin C4 Hercules ZH874 training at Doncaster Airport. The aircraft arrived from RAF Brize Norton and departed to Norwich Airport 30.8.22.

[Michael Hanks @Michaelflying28]

85 years ago today was the first flight of the Avro Lancaster. The Lancaster was widely used in the Second World War and post-war period with a variety of allied countries across numerous roles. Seen here is RAF BBMF Avro Lancaster B.1 PA474 training at Doncaster Airport 6.7.17.

[Ros Jones - Mayor of Doncaster @MayorRos]

2026 will be Doncaster’s time to shine as the next phase of reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport begins

My column in the @yorkshirepost.

#DoncasterIsGreat #Delivering4Doncaster #SaveDSA @save_dsa

https://t.co/UO8Zzsvwtg

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

Reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport:
A Local Myth-Buster

Myth 1: “Using public money on an airport is unusual or risky.”

Fact:
Public ownership and public investment in airports is normal UK practice.
Some of the UK’s most successful airports were built, owned, or supported by councils and governments, including:
Manchester Airport (owned by local councils)
Birmingham Airport
Newcastle International Airport
Leeds Bradford Airport
Public money didn’t damage these places — it helped them grow.

Myth 2: “Doncaster would be on its own doing this.”

Fact:
Doncaster would be doing exactly what many other places already do.
Airports currently in public ownership include:
Teesside International Airport
Cornwall Airport Newquay
City of Derry Airport
Cardiff Airport
Inverness Airport
Stornoway Airport
Kirkwall Airport
Sumburgh Airport
Isle of Man Airport
Publicly owned airports exist all across the UK and beyond — because they matter to local economies.

Myth 3: “The airport failed before, so it will fail again.”

Fact:
Doncaster Sheffield Airport did not close because people didn’t use it.
It closed following a private owner’s commercial decision, not because the airport lacked value to Doncaster or South Yorkshire.
Public ownership allows decisions to be made for long-term local benefit, not short-term shareholder returns.

Myth 4: “That money should be spent on something else.”
Fact:
Airports are economic infrastructure, just like roads, rail, and ports.
Reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport supports:
Skilled local jobs
Apprenticeships and training
Local supply chains
Business growth and inward investment
Connectivity for residents and employers
This is investment that circulates back into the local economy.

Myth 5: “Reopening means starting from scratch.”

Fact:
Doncaster already has the airport.
The runway, terminal, control tower, and transport links are already here. Reopening is about protecting and reusing an existing public asset, not building a new one.

Myth 6: “Other regions get help — Doncaster shouldn’t.”

Fact:
Other regions already do get help.
From Manchester to Cardiff, from Teesside to the Highlands, public money has been used to support airports because connectivity brings jobs and opportunity.
Doncaster deserves the same confidence and ambition.

The Bottom Line for Doncaster
Reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport with public money is:
Normal UK practice
Proven elsewhere
Focused on local jobs and growth
About long-term benefit, not short-term profit
When public money is invested wisely in airports, local communities benefit.
That’s true across the UK — and it should be true for Doncaster too.

#saveDSA
@MyDoncaster @MayorRos @DoncasterDamian @DNChamber @yorkshirepost @BBCSheffield @itvcalendar

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

Public Money and Airports:

Why Reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport Is Normal UK Practice

The use of public money to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport is not unusual, controversial, or unprecedented. In fact, public ownership and public investment in airports has been a core part of the UK aviation system for decades.
Across England, Wales, Scotland, and the Crown Dependencies, airports have been owned, supported, or rescued by public authorities when they were judged to be economically important to their regions.
Major English Airports with Public Ownership (Now or Historically)
Manchester Airport - Owned by the ten Greater Manchester councils; one of the most successful regional airports in Europe
Birmingham Airport - Significant public sector shareholding and investment
Newcastle International Airport - Previously majority council-owned, still with local authority involvement
Leeds Bradford Airport - Long-term local authority ownership prior to sale
Bristol Airport - Historically council-owned and expanded with public backing
Airports Returned to or Retained in Public Ownership
Teesside International Airport - Returned to public ownership to protect jobs and regional connectivity
Cornwall Airport Newquay - Owned and supported by Cornwall Council
City of Derry Airport - Owned by Derry City and Strabane District Council
Wales and Devolved Nations
Cardiff Airport - Owned by the Welsh Government as a national economic asset
Scotland - Public Ownership as Standard
In Scotland, public ownership of airports is the norm rather than the exception. The Scottish Government owns and operates airports including:
Inverness Airport
Stornoway Airport
Kirkwall Airport
Sumburgh Airport
Alongside others serving island and remote communities
These airports are publicly owned because connectivity is considered essential infrastructure, not a luxury.
Crown Dependencies
Isle of Man Airport - Owned by the Isle of Man Government

So What Does This Mean for Doncaster Sheffield Airport?
Reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport using public money is entirely consistent with UK practice.
It protects an existing strategic asset,
supports skilled employment,
enables inward investment,
ensures the region is not left behind.
Publicly owned airports across the UK prove one thing clearly:

When public money is invested wisely in airports,

The public benefits.
@MyDoncaster @MayorRos @DNChamber @DonnyFreePress @yorkshirepost @BBCSheffield @itvcalendar @BBCLookNorth @DoncasterRadio @olivercoppard @SouthYorksMCA

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

An invite to DSA this afternoon by xh558 vulcan to the sky trust
Well the weather didn't dampen our spirits this afternoon as we visited @vulcantothesky for an engine run

Today was a preparation day ready for the start of engine Runs and experience visits next year.

Unfortunately the vulcan didn't quite start this afternoon let down by the starter compressor which developed a fault (all was working well this morning and the vulcan started on the button ) typical eh.

It was a privilege to be invited this afternoon and we left our Mark on the old girl (see pic) with a well placed #saveDSA group sticker

Thanks to the team that look after XH558 Vulcan Experience, Doncaster Airport

#saveDSA #saveDSAairspace #syorksairportcity #teamdoncaster #teamDSA #investment #aviation #localeconomy #regionalsupport #teameffort #teamDSA #investment #doncasterisgreat

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

Latest event at DSA last week

A visit from the

 Pakistan Travel Mart

Here’s screenshots of a post from LinkedIn

They met with the team from Doncaster Council and Doncaster Sheffield Airport

They found the bold plans to reopen DSA inspiring

With this forward-looking initiative aligning perfectly with their plans to promote sustainable connectivity, tourism, development and collaboration between Pakistan and the UK

Who say's there no interest in DSA here’s more proof of the work ongoing behind the scenes, engaging with the global market promoting our airport and the possibilities that we have here in Doncaster and South Yorkshire

Please share

 @MyDoncaster @DNChamber
@MayorRos
@olivercoppard
@SouthYorksMCA
@DoncasterDamian @LeePitcherMP @DonnyFreePress @yorkshirepost @looknorthBBC @BBCSheffield @itvcalendar
#saveDSA #saveDSAairspace #syorksairportcity #teamdoncaster #teamDSA #investment #aviation #localeconomy #regionalsupport #teameffort #teamDSA #investment #doncasterisgreat #teamsouthyorkshire #aviation

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

In 10 days, on November 27th, a crucial full council meeting will take place to vote on accepting funding from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for the reopening of our airport. This meeting will also address a loan necessary for the initial costs associated with the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA).

The gainshare funds, totaling £160 million, will provide approximately £6 million annually for 25 years. However, a loan is essential to cover the startup costs.

On Wednesday evening, Oliver Coppard, the South Yorkshire Mayor, extended an invitation to all Doncaster Councillors and Party Representatives to visit SYMCA. This visit will allow them to engage with the team and review the extensive due diligence that has been conducted over the past year to reach this pivotal moment.

This project requires cross-party support. We have already secured funding approval and completed the necessary due diligence, which has taken over two years. We are now ready for the next step.

Doncaster and South Yorkshire are prepared to embrace this challenge and showcase our readiness to access the global economy. I encourage all councillors from the three parties to take advantage of Oliver Coppard's offer and work collaboratively to vote for the funding for DSA.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our region. Let’s motivate our councillors to make the right decision.

For contact details of all Doncaster councillors, please visit: Modern Council https://t.co/YLJEscF19k

You can reach out to the political party leaders:
- Ros Jones, Labour Leader: [email protected]
- Guy Aston, Reform Leader: [email protected]
- Steve Cox, Conservative Leader: [email protected]

I urge you to write to your councillor or one of the party leaders to advocate for the funding to reopen DSA.

we have a letter template to copy and paste, please fill in your details including postcode

Name
Address
Postcode
Date

To whom it may concern

I'm a doncaster resident, I've seen the work on going to reopen our airport #saveDSA
Doncaster Sheffield Airport
I am in full support of a reopened airport here in doncaster.

I urge you to vote for the funding from SYMCA on the 27th of November to enable a reopened airport.

I have seen the work that has taken place over the last 3 years or so and want our airport reopened.

For the growth of our local economy, job prospects and the connectivity opportunities a reopened airport will provide for holidays abroad and business opportunities.

Best Regards

@MyDoncaster @MayorRos
@DoncasterDamian @DNChamber @LeePitcher @DonnyFreePress
@yorkshirepost
@BBCSheffield @itvcalendar
@BBCLookNorth @GBNEWS
#saveDSA #voteforfunding #saveDSAairspace #syorksairportcity #teamdoncaster #teamDSA #investment #aviation #localeconomy #regionalsupport #doncasterisgreat

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

Another job advertised by Fly Doncaster

Head of security at DSA

Follow the link to our post over on facebook

#saveDSA

https://t.co/heVVVFgRm2

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

Even Reform UK, not exactly known as champions of infrastructure investment, is getting behind DSA, on a local level at least.

Guy Aston, the leader of Reform UK on the City of Doncaster Council, gave his backing to the reopening of DSA, saying that he loves the airport.

In an interview with Save DSA podcast ‘It's Not Terminal’, he said: “Citizens of Doncaster, I want that airport open. I love it. I used it.

“And my wife has said, don't care where we're going, but the first few flights out, we'll be on one.”

Endorsements don’t ring any louder than that. And there was yet more sense from Aston, I never thought agreeing with a Reform councillor would be on the 2025 bingo card.

He said: “If we don't all work together, it's probably not going to open.”

The councillor even talked about pride at standing in queues at airports in other parts of the world and seeing Doncaster on the departure boards. Something that would undoubtedly be a welcome sight again, especially if it is as a spoke to a major hub or two.

@MyDoncaster @MayorRos @SouthYorksMCA @olivercoppard @DNChamber @DoncasterDamian

[#saveDSA_Airport @save_dsa]

Yorkshire Post article
I've managed to copy and paste the latest post from Yorkshire Post

With quotes from our podcast

"It's Not Terminal "

---------- ---------- --------- ---------

What Doncaster Sheffield Airport needs to succeed as a passenger airport - Ismail Mulla

I must concede, I’d never used Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) when it was operated by Peel Group. Not because it had a bad reputation. On the contrary, it was consistently ranked as the best airport in the UK by the consumer organisation Which? Nor do I have an aversion to South Yorkshire, it’s a lovely part of the region where I completed my training as a journalist.

By Ismail Mulla
Opinion Editor

Published 24th Oct 2025, 06:00 BST

However, there were a few stumbling blocks. The biggest of which was the lack of destinations that the airport was connected to.

For all the will in the world, and local leaders do deserve credit for getting this far with the reopening, including getting the Government to promise support for the project, DSA cannot fall into the trap of ‘build it and they will come’.

If anything, overtures need to be made to full-service airlines that are capable of flying to major international hubs. There’s something called the hub and spoke model in aviation parlance and DSA needs to become a spoke.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport pictured in September. PIC: Tony Johnson
If the airport manages to harpoon a whale like Emirates or Qatar, offering regular flights to the likes of Dubai and Doha, then that will open up a sea of opportunities.

It may seem a long way away with DSA not set to reopen at least until 2028. But whoever ends up running the airport needs to put forward a compelling case for full-service carriers to fly from DSA.

The actual airport site has the ingredients needed for these airlines to operate flights from there.

The other piece of the puzzle is just as important and it was in the headlines last week. That is the importance of transport infrastructure around the airport. There’s little point in reopening the airport when so few people can get to it.

The three South Yorkshire Chambers of Commerce – Doncaster, Sheffield, and Barnsley & Rotherham – issued a united appeal to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander urging urgent investment in M18 Junction 3, the gateway to the planned reopening of DSA and the Gateway East Investment Zone.

As only business leaders are capable of, they make a compelling economic argument for investment in road improvements.

What would truly be transformational for DSA is a direct rail link to the airport. This isn’t pie in the sky thinking. The pieces of the jigsaw are there. They just need to be put in the right place. For example land has already been safeguarded for a station with the idea being an aspiration dating back to its time under private ownership.

But in order for that to be the case, the Government needs to put its money where its mouth is. The financial burden for unlocking the airport’s potential cannot be left on the shoulders of local leaders.

When I travel abroad, the go-to airport is Manchester. It has the connections and there’s a direct rail link to the airport.

Although the appalling service levels provided by rail companies in recent years have seen me become reliant on fighting through traffic on the M62.

There will be thousands of others in our region who face the same predicament. For the folk in South Yorkshire it is even more difficult to get over the Pennines. Leeds Bradford Airport’s scope is limited by its location.

This is where the argument against reopening DSA on environmental grounds fails. You’re not going to stop people who need to or want to from flying so surely it is better to work with the problem than against it.

All of this points to a golden opportunity for DSA but it needs big picture thinking from Westminster.

#saveDSA #saveDSAairspace #syorksairportcity #teamdoncaster #teamDSA