Doncaster’s Full Council is being asked to support financial borrowing to help progress the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
£193m of funding to fully reopen the airport has been secured from a mix of funds including £160m funding from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, SY Local Growth Fund, and City of Doncaster Council (CDC).
Full Council will be asked to approve £57m of borrowing to fund the upfront and reopening costs. These are not additional costs but a mechanism for providing the cash to support the reopening and funded by the resources that are part of the overall financial package approved by MCA on 9 September 2025.
The report notes that the borrowing would peak by 2032-33 before reducing and won’t impact on the wider CDC budget. There is also the potential upside, detailed in a Cabinet report (5 November); if profits are generated as forecast, the loan payments from FlyDoncaster Ltd could repay the borrowing quicker. Cabinet was told that it is forecast that the airport could generate a pre-tax and interest profit of potentially up to £230m from 2035 up to 2049.
The report states: “Therefore, a proposition that utilises external resources for the purpose of reopening the DSA which acts as a catalyst for housing, jobs, skills and growth economic are hugely significant to Doncaster. The rationale for the recommendations is to provide the very best possible scenario for Doncaster, simply there is no other proposition that can deliver this impact and scale of opportunities.”
Mayor Ros Jones said: “Whilst this is a technical financial matter going before Full Council next week, it is a significant one. As part of the Council’s Constitution new additions to the Capital Programme and borrowing requirements require Full Council approval.
“To provide for the upfront investment and to secure the full reopening of the airport the Council needs to borrow the necessary funds which will be repaid in the future and won’t impact on the wider CDC budget.
“Fully reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport is set to be the largest single investment in Doncaster for more than a generation, with unrivalled economy opportunities for our residents and businesses, it has gone through scrutiny and extensive due diligence over the last 12 months and now I just want to see our airport fully reopened.
“Quite simply without taking out this borrowing, the airport project cannot proceed. This is the magnitude of the decision before Full Council next week. I know that the airport can be a huge success for Doncaster, South Yorkshire and the North. I hope Full Council will help us proceed and give their support.”
The report also notes that 92% of the public who responded to an ongoing survey about the airport supported the full reopening.
The Full Council meeting is due to take place on 27 November.
