July 14, 2022 8.18 pm This story is over 26 months old

Petition calls for Doncaster Sheffield Airport to be saved

Closure fears as WizzAir are pulling out

By Local Democracy Reporter

Over 26,000 people have signed a petition in a bid to save Doncaster Sheffield Airport from potentially permanent closure.

The airport has been dealt a tough situation with the departure of Wizz Air, meaning just one base carrier company are now operating from DSA – which is TUI.

Robin Hood Airport is a key travel route for many in Lincolnshire, hosting flights to and from some of the most popular holiday destinations across Europe and beyond.

This along with the financial implications of COVID-19 halting the travel industry has left bosses at DSA with a decision to make on the future of the airport in the coming weeks.

The Peel Group, which acquired the site in 1999 and converted it into an international commercial airport in 2005, has said DSA “never achieved the critical mass required to become profitable”, concluding that “aviation activity may no longer be the use” for the area.

The petition hopes to ensure the owners of the site do not close the airport, stating that “hundreds of jobs” will be lost and the city of Doncaster will be negatively affected by the closure if it goes ahead.

Started by Yorkshire Plane Spotting, it has gathered plenty of attention in such a short space of time, earning more than 26,000 signatures in 24 hours – at the time of reporting.

It reads: “Doncaster Sheffield Airport serves Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and many more towns around the UK. Hundreds of jobs will be lost at the airport, and I feel like Doncaster, which has just become a city in the last couple of months, will be going backwards if the airport shuts down.

“It has potential to become one of the best in the UK with a great terminal building, and great links to towns and cities with the newly built link road. Doncaster currently serves routes around Europe, the USA and Mexico, this would be a tragedy if it gets taken away from us.”