Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Owners to meet with investors, says MP

Owners of closure-threatened Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) have agreed to meet with potential buyers, political leaders said.

Services at the airport, which employs 800 people, are due to wind down from 31 October.

Local politicians have urged owners Peel to consider offers for the site.

Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher said the company had agreed to "sit down with potential investors" but will continue with its plan to shut the airport.

The mayors of Doncaster, Ros Jones, and South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, said they had written to Peel to "urge them to seriously consider offers for the purchase of the site".

Ms Jones said council staff had been working "tirelessly" to find potential investors and had put the offers to Peel.

She said: "These investors have told us they believe the airport is viable.

"They see a future for DSA as an airport and want to negotiate with Peel but need more time to complete complex legal and financial requirements, as is normal in any deal and particularly so with one of this size and scale."

Mr Fletcher said the company has responded to the letter and "stated that they will sit down with potential investors but in the meantime they will continue to work towards closure".

He added: "This is what was expected, a half-way house you might say."

Mr Coppard said the move "signals a willingness to negotiate, and to work with us to protects jobs and operations at DSA".

Ms Jones previously said Doncaster Council was "prepared to initiate the process" for a Compulsory Purchase Order of the airport and will investigate if it can seek a judicial review of the decision to close.

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