Plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), England, have taken a step forward after the area’s local council pledged its “unanimous support” toward a rescue proposal.

The airport, which handled more than 1.4 million passengers at its height in 2019, closed in November last year after owner Peel Group deemed that the business was no longer commercially sustainable.

Following the move, Doncaster Council launched a study to explore ways of reopening the site, alongside creating wider employment opportunities in the surrounding area. As part of this, a financial viability assessment found the airport could become profitable in five years.

At a meeting on Sept. 20, the local authority backed reopening DSA, saying it hopes to create a 100-year leasehold agreement with Peel and find an operator to run the airport. Fifteen parties are understood to have expressed interest.

“We are hopeful that a lease can be secured and look forward to working with interested parties in reopening the airport,” Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones says.

“We have already initially tested the market for those industry experts who can partner with us to get the airport reopened as soon as we can. If we get the lease agreed, then reopening the airport will not happen overnight, of course, but it would be a huge step forward.”

The viability assessment found that the airport could see 2 million passengers pass through it annually within 10 years and has the potential to support 5,000 direct jobs.

The wider South Yorkshire City Airport plans include retail, leisure, logistics and residential developments, which the council says have “the potential to dramatically increase the economic impacts associated with DSA and secure catalytic economic change.”

DSA was first opened in 2005 by redeveloping the runway and facilities of the former RAF Finningley airbase. Wizz Air was the airport’s largest operator in 2019, with a near 50% share of all departure seats available. However, the ULCC axed a large number of routes from the airport in June 2022, prompting a strategic review by Peel.