Travel agents have called the decision to close Doncaster Sheffield airport “absolutely gutting” and “a real shame”.
Peel Group, the airport’s owner, blamed the move on “a fundamental lack of financial viability”, adding “no tangible proposals” had been received regarding its future ownership.
The airport, which employs around 800 people, is due to start winding down from October 31.
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Airlines Tui and Wizz Air offered the most departures in July and August this year, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Local agents have expressed their disappointment at the demise of the airport, which was the 28th largest in the country last year in terms of departing flight numbers.
Sheffield Travel Centre booked “a couple of hundred” flights from the airport every year.
Director Lisa Machin said: “It’s absolutely gutting and mortifying. So much for the levelling up the north of the country, as here we have an airport with fantastic infrastructure that’s closing its doors.
“It’s mortifying for the local jobs. It’s always the smaller airports that suffer and the big ones get bigger. Flying from Doncaster Sheffield was so hassle-free.”
Andrew Earle, head partner at Andrew Earle’s Holidays, said the surrounding area would suffer because of the closure, calling it “a real shame”, but stressed his sales staff had been “switching” from Doncaster Sheffield to other airports over the past five years.
“Tui does not help agents because it does so much online discounting,” he said, adding that Tui sales represented around 3% of his overall business. “We’re not that badly impacted.”
However, he said one of his customers was due to fly out from Doncaster Sheffield on October 31 – the day the airport begins to wind down.
“The customer is panicky because she has paid for her car parking and her lounge passes,” he added. “The cost of parking at Manchester is more as well as getting to that airport is more, so people are getting impacted financially.”
He went on to say Doncaster Sheffield offered “great” service levels, adding: “The car parking was convenient, and the customer service people were friendly.
“It’s a bit of a gutter. It’s not the end of the world but everyone loves a local airport.”
Machin added that she still hoped the government would “do something about it”.
“Covid did take a lot out of the airport,” she said, adding: “No one could have foreseen this.”
She explained that customers would now be booked on flights from East Midlands, Birmingham and Leeds Bradford.
Direct Travel branch manager, Emma Cullen, said the Sheffield-based agency made around 30 bookings from Doncaster Sheffield each year.
“It is a shame,” she said.
A spokesperson for Hays Travel – the largest agency in the country – said: “It’s very sad and disappointing for everyone to hear of the impending closure.
“We are contacting any of our customers who are affected to discuss alternative options for them.”