The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority approved the funding in September 2025. According to SYMCA, the board voted unanimously to provide the money to revive the airport, which closed in 2022 after Peel Group deemed it financially unviable, according to reports. The reopening project had faced uncertainty due to a stalemate over a £57 million loan from Doncaster City Council, according to sources.
An extraordinary council meeting was scheduled on 11 May after Reform UK councillors revealed they want to reverse the decision to permit that loan. According to agenda papers for the meeting, if the loan is rescinded and alternative funding is not found, the land would have no future as an airport. The papers also warned that if no funding to close the airport project is found, the council faces an increased risk of bankruptcy.
The funding could make commercial passenger flights feasible a year earlier than initially planned. According to Doncaster Council reports, freight flights are aimed to resume in summer 2026 and passenger flights to be bookable from autumn/winter 2026 for flights towards the end of the following year. Passenger flights were initially thought not to be tangible until at least 2028.
Mayor Oliver Coppard stated in August that commercial passenger flights were not tangible for at least another three years. However, the date for passenger flights to return has been put back to Easter 2028, according to the City of Doncaster Council. Agenda papers for the extraordinary council meeting revealed the new estimated return date of Easter 2028.
SYMCA has long suggested passenger flights would not return until well into 2028. Reform UK has long stated it would prefer private investment in the airport. The party initially supported the airport project but later considered rescinding approval.
Reform UK councillors raised concerns about taxpayer return on investment regarding the airport project. Nigel Farage criticized the lease deal with Peel Group, insisting the council should acquire the freehold. Reform UK Doncaster has not provided any indication of alternative funding options if they reverse the decision to fund the reopening.
Labour Mayor Ros Jones championed the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The structure of local government in Doncaster means Ros Jones maintains executive control as mayor despite Reform winning a majority in the council. Jones is thought to have been re-elected by a slim margin largely due to her determination to reopen the airport.
" The exact timeline for the return of passenger flights remains unclear, with conflicting reports of late 2026 from Doncaster Council reports and Easter 2028 from the City of Doncaster Council. It is also uncertain whether Reform UK councillors will succeed in rescinding the loan and what alternative funding they would propose, as noted in agenda papers and Reform UK's lack of indication.