A public consultation has begun on potential flight paths for Doncaster Sheffield Airport as the facility prepares to resume passenger flights in 2028.
City of Doncaster Council is sponsoring an airspace change proposal to reinstate controlled airspace and reintroduce arrival and departure routes. The airport, which closed in 2022, currently has no form of airspace control.
Who can have their say
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."
The consultation document details planned flight paths and shows the area affected by arrivals. This covers Hexthorpe in the west to Epworth in the east, and Bawtry and Harworth in the south to Sykehouse in the north.
Noise concerns and next steps
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.
According to a timeline set out by the Civil Aviation Authority, the organisation aims to make a decision on the airspace in May 2027. Doncaster Sheffield Airport cannot return to full operations without approved airspace.
Funding and reopening timeline
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 cannot be made available to Doncaster Council until the lease's successful renegotiation.
The public funding package is worth more than £160m. Councillors were told in July 2026 that the reopening could "run out" of money in September without extra funding.
Mayor Jones said: "We are determined to see the airport fully reopen as soon as possible and reach its full potential."
