Freight operator in 'advanced' talks with airport

Twenty cargo flights a week could use Doncaster Sheffield Airport after it was announced a major freight operator was in "advanced talks" with management.

Doncaster Council's arms-length company Fly Doncaster Ltd (FDL) claimed the "major international business" could move up to 80,000 tonnes of freight each year.

The statement also claims the operator, which has not been named because of commercial sensitivity, believes it would save £20m a year by relocating there.

FDL director Christian Foster said: "There is a huge opportunity to expand on the freight operations here. We know there is significant capacity to increase this, and the interested party would do so more than threefold at a stroke."

"This demonstrates the significant amount of interest that exists around DSA and the role the airport will play in helping to reshape the UK supply chain."

The announcement comes after Reform councillors in Doncaster called an extraordinary meeting to reverse approval of a £57m loan from the council.

Labour figures in South Yorkshire have said doing so would "kill" the project and Mayor Ros Jones said Reform was "standing in the way of incredible economic potential and opportunity".

Doncaster Council is currently seeking to reopen the airport using public funds, after attempts to find a private investor were unsuccessful. It closed in 2022 when landowners and operators Peel said it was no longer viable.

Reform said there were details in the lease between the council and Peel, who still own the site, that they should have been aware of before it was approved.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, all councillors in Doncaster had the option to view the lease, under strict conditions of confidentiality, before the November 2025 vote, as it was referenced in the background papers of the decision.

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