Forum backs plans for latest regional airport

Doncaster finningley

Forum backs plans for latest regional airport

Report by LOUISE LONGMAN

PLANS for a fourth airport in the Humber and Yorkshire region received airline backing at the aviation industry’s development forum Routes held in Amsterdam.

Routes was attended by scheduled, charter and cargo operators from the UK, mainland Europe, the US and the Far East.

Despite an initial 50% of participants claiming to be unaware of plans for Doncaster Finningley airport, 33 airlines thought there was a gap in the market.

Doncaster Finningley, which is a former RAFbase, is owned by Peel Airports. Commercial director Neil Pakey said: “The research findings are remarkable and confirm the growing requirement for Finningley from the airline community.”

The support in favour of Finningley follows a report from two travel consultancies claiming the area does not need a fourth airport.

Finningley developers hit back at the report by Aviation and Travel Consultancy and York Consulting which claimed the area was already well served by Yorkshire’s three existing airports – Leeds Bradford, Humberside and Sheffield, in addition to other airports such as Manchester and East Midlands.

The report said none of the three airports had reached their capacity and the area needed airlines not airports.

Pakey said: “We have 50 times as much support in favour of the airport than those against and for all of the airlines who have said there is a need for Finningley, not one has aircraft small enough to take off from Sheffield.

“We are in a different market, one for mid-size and larger-size aircraft.”

Doncaster Council will make its decision on whether to back the airport at a three-day meeting starting on October 25. Submissions will then go to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

If approval is granted, the airport could become operational by 2002.