Major UK airport that once flew to Spain and Cyprus given huge boost to reopen following £30million grant

PLANS to reopen an abandoned UK airport have been handed a huge boost in the form of a £30million government grant.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport has been closed since November 2022, after its last major airline Wizz Air terminated flights to and from the travel hub.

The airline connected Doncaster Sheffield to holiday hotspots like Lanzarote, Malaga, Cyprus, Amsterdam and Dublin.

Its owners soon declared that keeping it running after those flights had been withdrawn was not "financially viable".

Since then efforts to reopen it have continued and this week were boosted by the potential of some much-needed additional funding.

from transport secretary Mark Harper to South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard on Thursday, February 1 explained that a grant was both available and "suitable" for the project.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport first opened in 2005 and was the 29th biggest airport in the UK.

It was voted the best UK airport, according to Which? and had flights to popular hotpots in Europe such as Tenerife and Lanzarote.

Earlier this year, reports claimed that a request to use the £30 million to reopen the airport had been rejected.

However, Harper's reply suggests clearly that Doncaster Sheffield would likely be given approval for the grant.

The transport secretary said: “The government is supporting South Yorkshire through Gainshare funding, making £900 million available through £30 million funding per year over 30 years. 

“This is exactly the funding which the mayor of Teesside used to support Teesside Airport and is consequently very likely to be suitable for your needs.

“I am sure we can both agree that it is excellent news that there is clear government grant available that you can choose to use to support Doncaster Sheffield Airport.”