Plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield airport have recommenced after local Reform councillors agreed not to vote against a £57m loan that will support the project.
Doncaster Sheffield airport closed in 2022 after the operator said it was not financially viable, leaving South Yorkshire without a significant aviation base for international flights.
Since its closure, local authorities and central government have explored ways to reopen the airport and restart flights, with negotiations ongoing with the landowner to lease the airport to Doncaster Council.
A previously-agreed £57m loan to support the airport’s reopening was threatened with withdrawal by Doncaster’s Reform councillors.
The party has since said this was due to not having knowledge of key clauses of the agreement at the time of the original vote on the loan in November 2025.
However, in an extraordinary council meeting on Wednesday, 11 May, Reform members agreed that the loan can stay in place as long as councillors were provided with copies of the lease before it was approved.
A City of Doncaster Council spokesperson said: “The decision taken at today’s Extraordinary Full Council meeting means that the airport programme can recommence. In addition, discussions with the landowner will now be restarted and reported accordingly.
“We remain committed to reopening Doncaster Sheffield airport and delivering the jobs and growth it will bring to the region.
“Work will continue at pace, in partnership with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and other stakeholders, subject to ongoing risk management and the progression of funding agreements.”
Reform became the largest party in Doncaster Council after the 2025 elections, yet the council has an elected Labour mayor who leads the council along with her cabinet.
Jason Charity, deputy leader of Reform UK Doncaster, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the threat to withdraw the loan was made to encourage the council to negotiate with the party.
“If we had started with the amendment, it would probably be watered down to a set of safeguards that probably wouldn’t have done much,” he said.
“Of course, Labour will call it a U-turn, what I would call this is a refinement of the deal.”
At the same meeting, Reform UK councillor Kieran Lay suggested to a City of Doncaster Council meeting that a “Doncaster UAP Overview and Safety Committee or panel” should be established to track “unidentified anomaly phenomena,” also known as UFOs, at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Mr Lay later told BBC News he made the comments “to spice things up, but also bring a bit more attention” to safety issues around objects like drones.
Read more: Reform councillor asks to monitor UFO activity as part of Doncaster Sheffield Airport reopening
