Doncaster Sheffield Airport (IATA: DSA, ICAO: EGCN), formerly named and commonly referred to as Robin Hood Airport, was an international airport in Finningley near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England, in operation between 2005 and 2022. The site lies 6 mi (10 km) south-east of the centre of Doncaster and 19 mi (31 km) east of Sheffield.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport Robin Hood Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Peel Group | ||||||||||
| Operator | Doncaster Sheffield Airport Limited | ||||||||||
| Serves | South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire | ||||||||||
| Location | Finningley, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire | ||||||||||
| Opened | 28 April 2005 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 30 November 2022 | ||||||||||
| Passenger services ceased | 4 November 2022 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 56 ft / 17 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°28′31″N 01°00′15″W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  DSA Location in South Yorkshire | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2019) | |||||||||||
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History
1915–1995: RAF Finningley
The airport was opened as Finningley Airfield in 1915.
During the First World War, it was a base for the Royal Flying Corps to intercept German Zeppelins targeting industrial cities of Northern England. In the Second World War the airfield was primarily used for training,[3]: 127–128 serving RAF Bomber Command crews; only a few combat missions took off. It was a key facility for nuclear-armed Vulcan bombers in the Cold War before downgrade to training in the 1970s / 1980s and decommissioning by 1995.[3]: 132
The long runway was a Space Shuttle emergency landing site.[citation needed]
2005–2016: Robin Hood Airport
Following the end of scheduled services from Sheffield City Airport, Peel Group opened former RAF Finningley as Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield in April 2005.[4][5] The Robin Hood label controversially referenced historical accounts placing him in nearby Barnsdale Forest not Sherwood Forest but 11,000 people petitioned to oppose the name.[6]
Promoters initially hoped for 25 million passengers a year.[7] In 2007, one million used the airport. This decreased to 700,000 in 2012, before increasing to just 1.25 million in 2016.[2]
2016–2022: Doncaster Sheffield Airport
In December 2016, Robin Hood Airport rebranded as Doncaster Sheffield Airport.[citation needed]
Flybe closed its facility at the airport in 2019, relocating crew and aircraft,[8] though Wizz Air based two aircraft there in 2020.[9][10] However in 2022, it too announced the end of flights from the airport[11] stating the airport operators were "unable to guarantee the terms of its commercial agreement".[citation needed] That left TUI Airways as the airport's sole regular customer.[11]
After an extended review and public consultation,[12][13] Peel proposed an expansion of their adjacent Gateway East property development[14] and the airport closed. TUI operated the final flights on 4 November 2022,[14] and Wizz Air transferred its routes to Leeds Bradford Airport.[15]
Doncaster Council applied for judicial review of the closure process but was refused.[16] In response, the Mayor of Doncaster announced the council's intention to compulsory purchase.[17]
Nevertheless, air traffic control was withdrawn from the airport in December 2022,[18] and the Civil Aviation Authority began to reclassify surrounding airspace.[19]
Post-closure
After protracted negotiation,[20][21][22] in March 2024 the Mayor confirmed a 125 year lease to take over the airport had been signed.[23] She subsequently stated an operator had been identified and that she hoped the airport could re-open by Spring 2026.[24]
On 12 November 2024, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority agreed to £3m funding of reinstatement activities and commercial negotiation,[25] as part of a £138m budget to re-open the airport.[26] Flydoncaster Ltd was incorporated on 8 November 2024.[27]
On 6 December 2024, a utility aircraft, operated by 2Excel Aviation, landed at the airport, the first in over 2 years.[28]
Facilities
The airport has a single runway designated 02/20, with dimensions of 2,895 by 60 m (9,498 by 197 ft). It was designed for long-range nuclear armed bombers and so is wider than other commercial airports in the north of England.[citation needed]
The passenger terminal had 24 check-in desks, six departure gates and three baggage carousels.[when?][citation needed]
A 102 bed Ramada Encore hotel opened in 2008.[29] It is situated less than ten minutes walk from the Terminal building but is now used to hold immigrants awaiting decisions on their asylum cases.[citation needed][when?]
There are four on-site car parks.[30]
Airport business park
In 2014, a 10-hectare (25-acre) site on the airport's business park became part of Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone.[31]
Hangars
No. 3 Hangar was occupied by 2Excel Aviation providing Design, production and Maintenance services. Defence company BAE Systems formerly operated its Aircraft Maintenance Academy from No. 3 Hangar at the airport, before moving to Humberside Airport.[citation needed][when?] Other activities within the hangars included from 2012, a Cessna Citation service centre.[32]
Flight training
The airport was home to Yorkshire Aero Club[33] and Hummingbird Helicopters.[34][when?]
Statistics
Traffic statistics
 |
| Year | Passengers handled |
Passenger % change |
Cargo (tonnes) |
Cargo % change |
Aircraft movements |
Aircraft % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 600,907 |  | 31 | | 6,914 | |
| 2006 | 900,067 |  49.8 | 167 | 438.7 | 10,642 | 53.9 |
| 2007 | 1,078,374 | 19.8 | 1,602 | 859.3 | 12,667 | 19.0 |
| 2008 | 968,481 |  10.2 | 1,350 | 15.7 | 13,066 | 3.1 |
| 2009 | 835,768 | 13.7 | 344 | 74.5 | 10,854 | 16.9 |
| 2010 | 876,153 | 4.8 | 216 | 37.2 | 11,030 | 1.6 |
| 2011 | 822,877 | 6.1 | 102 | 52.8 | 11,876 | 7.7 |
| 2012 | 693,661 | 15.7 | 276 | 170.6 | 11,724 | 1.3 |
| 2013 | 690,351 | 0.5 | 354 | 28.3 | 11,197 | 4.5 |
| 2014 | 724,885 | 5.0 | 858 | 142.4 | 11,697 | 4.5 |
| 2015 | 857,109 | 18.2 | 3,201 | 273.1 | 11,998 | 2.6 |
| 2016 | 1,255,907 | 46.5 | 9,341 | 191.8 | 16,098 | 34.2 |
| 2017 | 1,335,590 | 6.3 | 8,656 | 7.3 | 17,435 | 8.3 |
| 2018 | 1,222,347 | 8.4 | 7,107 | 17.8 | 18,930 | 8.5 |
| 2019 | 1,407,862 | 15.2 | 17,647 | 148.3 | 23,043 | 21.7 |
Busiest routes
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | % change 2018–19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bucharest | 96,612 | 52.0 |
| 2 | Katowice | 82,279 | 1.1 |
| 3 | Gdańsk | 80,842 | 10.1 |
| 4 | Alicante | 68,583 | 9.7 |
| 5 | Warsaw | 67,711 | 1.5 |
| 6 | Vilnius | 58,793 | 43.3 |
| 7 | Palma de Malloca | 55,197 | 4.4 |
| 8 | Poznań | 54,514 | 7.9 |
| 9 | Tenerife–South | 51,309 | 0.6 |
| 10 | Amsterdam | 48,840 | 16.2 |
| 11 | Riga | 43,937 | 3.6 |
| 12 | Málaga | 42,299 | 12.5 |
| 13 | Budapest | 42,116 | 592.6 |
| 14 | Cluj Napoca | 41,165 | 14.3 |
| 15 | Lanzarote | 39,993 | 1.5 |
| 16 | Kraków | 39,345 | n/a |
| 17 | Wroclaw | 35,194 | 1.4 |
| 18 | Debrecen | 33,605 | 2187.6 |
| 19 | Dublin | 29,779 | 11.5 |
| 20 | Paphos | 24,528 | 9.4 |
Vulcan XH558
In 2011, the Vulcan to the Sky Trust flew Avro Vulcan XH558 to the airport, its former operational base. It was the last airworthy example of the Vulcan bomber fleet, restored to flight by the trust in 2007.[36] XH558's final flight was a display over the airport, on 28 October 2015.[37]
In 2022, the trust announced it would leave the airport because its lease could not be renewed.[38] Nevertheless, as of October 2024, the trust and XH558 remained at the airport awaiting negotiations with a new operator.[39]
Transport
The airport is close to M18 motorway junction 3 and a road to it was completed in 2018.[40]
Doncaster railway station on the East Coast Main Line, and the Frenchgate Interchange are 7 mi (11 km) away.[citation needed]
The airport abuts the Doncaster to Lincoln railway line, and plans for a station to replace one that closed in 1961 were granted planning permission in 2008. However, a 2012 report by Network Rail stated that more trains on the line would be required to make it viable.[41] There have been proposals for a dedicated link to the East Coast Main Line.[42]
Accident
On 15 August 2014, Jestream 31 G–GAVA, operating a Links Air flight from Belfast City Airport, crashed on landing at the airport following a landing gear failure; this caused substantial damage to the aircraft. One passenger was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The airport was closed for several hours.[43][44]
In media
In 2007, the airport featured in the BBC Two documentary Should I Really Give Up Flying? Brian Blessed explored local attitudes to flying and its impact on the environment.[citation needed]
It has been a location for television series including ITV's Emmerdale,[45] BBC One's drama Hustle,[46] and In the Club.[citation needed]
The airport appeared in Four Lions[47] and was a settings for the BBC mockumentary Come Fly with Me. Matt Lucas and David Walliams spent two weeks at the airport filming.[48]
RAF Finningley was destroyed by a Soviet nuclear warhead in 1984 TV film Threads.[49]
References
External links
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