UK's Doncaster Sheffield Airport set for public ownership ahead of reopening

MANCHESTER, England, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Britain's Doncaster Sheffield Airport, which closed almost four years ago but handled more than 1.4 million passengers in 2019, looks set to return to public ownership with a view to reopening next year.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority on Monday said its mayor and regional leaders were set approve a deal to buy the airport, and adjacent land called the Innovation Quarter, from current owners Peel Land.

• SYMCA plans to restore freight services from autumn 2027 and passenger services from spring 2028, subject to regulatory and operational work needed to reopen the airport

• The deal needs formal approval from the boards of SYMCA and Peel Land

• Last year SYMCA approved about £160 million ($213 million)of funding for the reopening

• SYMCA did not immediately disclose how much it would pay Peel. A report to its board said the deal was "not without risk" to the taxpayer, but recommended approval

• SYMCA would become freehold owner of the site

• The South Yorkshire region, home to Boeing's first European factory, seeks to make the airport area a hub for sustainable aviation and advanced manufacturing

• Peel closed the airport in November 2022, saying it had never made a profit, after Wizz Air pulled its based aircraft. Peel rejected an offer of public money to cover losses for a year

• The reopening has been repeatedly delayed. As recently as February 2025, local authorities were targeting passenger flights by spring 2026

($1 = 0.7512 pounds)

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by Sam Tobin)