Doncaster Sheffield Airport will reopen, following a vote from the mayor and local council leaders to approve a £162m funding package.

The airport, which was also known as Robin Hood International, was closed in 2022 when the Peel Group previous owner said it was no longer financially viable.

The decision was made at a meeting of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Board, held on Tuesday 9 September at Doncaster Sheffield Airport. All five board members voted unanimously in favour of the funding, paving the way for the airport’s reopening.

READ: Doncaster Sheffield Airport to close due to financial viability fears

Since it closed, the Mayors of South Yorkshire and Doncaster, along with local authority partners and central government have worked at pace to explore the opportunity to return aviation to the region through a reopened airport with a viable future.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard, said: “I’ve always said I wanted to reopen DSA, but we needed to know exactly what the plan looked like. That’s why we’ve taken the time and done the work. No plan of this size or scale is ever easy, or without risks, but today we’ve taken a bold step forward, backed by data, expertise, and a shared vision for the type of South Yorkshire we want to build, because DSA is a unique opportunity.

“The plan we have backed today is about more than holiday flights or passenger numbers, it’s a long-term commitment to drive jobs, growth and opportunities in sustainable aviation, advanced manufacturing, freight, and even the defence sector, here in South Yorkshire.”

The site was originally established in 1915 as an early RAF base. The modern airport opened in 2005, but found it difficult to attract airlines to operate regular services. The terminal was designed to handle 25m P.A, but at its peak attracted no more than 1.5m.