Transport Secretary says mayor could follow Tees Valley airport example

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps has suggested the mayor of South Yorkshire can follow the example of Tees Valley and take the threatened Doncaster Sheffield Airport into public ownership.

“I think the example the mayor could follow is what Ben Houchen has done in Tees Valley, where he has taken that airport and is turning it around,” Shapps said, while adding he would continue to work with Oliver Coppard the South Yorkshire mayor and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to find a solution.

Shapps’ comments come as Coppard says he and the owner of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) have agreed to keep talking, with a view to keeping a commercial airport operating at this site.

Coppard delivered his update via Twitter today – 20 July – shortly after he attended a meeting with Peel Group, which has launched a consultation on the airport’s future after it warned that aviation activity here may no longer be commercially viable.

Coppard said: “I have to admit I was disappointed by Peel’s unwillingness to make substantive changes to their position, and to accept the need for an extension to their review, despite being pressed by me and all of Doncaster’s MPs.”

The mayor, who was elected earlier this year, added he was “also sorry that [Secretary of State for Transport] Grant Shapps didn’t join the meeting or send a Department for Transport representative”.

However, he said the combined authority “will continue to press the Government to get involved and work with us to keep the airport open.”

Coppard added “all options remain on the table” and said a joint working group will be launched to explore solutions, options and a way forward for Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

He said: “I can only hope Peel – and the Government – will enter into those negotiations in good faith and with the best interests of the South Yorkshire community at the forefront of their mind.”