Closed UK airport ‘abandoned’ years ago begins path to reopening

Plans have been backed by the government

There are 19 Airports in the UK which saw more than a million passengers through its terminal doors in 2025 while the UK Parliament website details that there are "50 airports in the UK that can be considered regional."

While regional airlines are struggling in the UK, regional airports are on the up as low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, EasyJet and Jet2 continue to base planes at smaller airports away from the capital.

Regional airports allow for cheaper slots for many airlines as well as easy travel for passengers who don't have to make the long trip to London or Manchester.

While regional airlines such as Blue Islands and Eastern Airways have gone bust in recent months, CAA reported an increase by 2.3 per cent in overall UK passenger traffic.

And, despite the closure of Coventry Airport to make way for a business park, there are plans to reopen Manston Airport in Kent and now Doncaster Airport has been set on the path to reopening.

The airport, which closed in 2022, has been given a new lease of life after it was revealed that a £57 million loan from Doncaster Council to support the reopening has been approved.

The news comes after a row over the loan between Labour and Reform UK councillors was resolved in a May 11 council meeting, according to Doncaster Free Press.

Previously an important piece of the regional airport landscape

Doncaster Airport previously served hundreds of thousands of passengers each year, but was closed in November 2022.

The last inbound flight touched down from Egypt on November 4, 2022, at 9:15pm. The final flight to leave the airport was November 5 at 12:15am, headed for Manchester.

The site closed after its owners, Peel Group, claimed it was no longer financially viable to keep it open, a decision which proved controversial to many.

In 2019, the airport handled 1.4 million passengers with flights to Spain and Eastern Europe being popular.

Tui and Wizz Air were two of the largest airlines at the airport.

Rachel Reeves and the government have backed plans in recent months to reopen the airport.

It is hoped that the reopening of the airport could help relieve pressure on the likes of Manchester Airport, Leeds-Bradford and East Midlands.

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