Robin Hood Doncaster to close.

[geoffs]

Bit sad this one with that lovely flat whacking big runway closing. Grew up in the 60's 3 miles away and as a nipper Vulcans seemed pretty much in the circuit 24 hours a day – my mum always said they were doing circuits and bumps...

[teeonefixer]

Yes, a very sad loss of a very useful facility. I started my regular spotting days there in the early 70's and never got fed up with the Varsities in and out!

[100arw]

I suspect if the airport owners had not tried to rip off Ryanair in the past and hold them over a barrell, Ryanair would by now have been the largest user of the airport - and very handy for travellers.
P.

[AyrForce1]

2Excel/OSR have confirmed this morning an interim move to Cardiff.

[geoffs]

Have to say teeonefixer was always sickened by what we ended up with there. Got properly interested mid 70's and the thought of Vulcans pounding the tarmac before the Varsities and Dominies of 6FTS always stuck in the throat a bit. How did those Varsities get off the ground? They were like a great seething, creaking bag of spanners on those perimeter tracks.

[Tiger 1]

Haar the Varsity... spent many hours watching these myself in my younger days... we knew them by their nickname "The Flying Pig".

Never got tied of seeing these coming over the house on to the 02 approach.

I ended up serving 12 years at RAF Finningley and still miss it today... such a shame and very sad that we are now about to loose it again in its DSA form.

I have a few friends who work there and it's a very worrying time for them and their families along with all the other employees.

T1

[burleysway]

First post for a while, Hi all.

GBNews ran an article live from Doncaster airport yesterday. A lot of local involvement trying to save the airport. Including a big march

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iHtA2XdR_x0

[DGSP69]

Latest news, a consortium from the UAE in talks with Peel with an offer significantly over the current site value.

They could make a soap opera out of this one.
Fingers crossed but just because the bid is over current value that doesn't account for what projected value Peel see for the site when they do whatever they have planned for it.

[bizfreeq]

Peel group deny the talks mentioned above

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news ... te-7777540

[FlyingFairy]

ATC facilities being withdrawn on 18 Nov.

See CAA link: https://skywise.caa.co.uk/doncaster-sheffield-airport/

[burleysway]

Middle Eastern rescue bid for Doncaster Airport stalled over proof of funding source

Doncaster Sheffield Airport’s rescue by a consortium from the Middle East has stalled following a stand-off with owners Peel Group, whose bosses claimed they were unable to verify the names of those bankrolling the bid.

His Excellency Mahmood Khaleel Al Hashmi, a prominent executive based in the emirate of Ajman in the UAE, can today be revealed as leading a consortium of parties from the region who have expressed an interest in buying the stricken South Yorkshire airport.

But the approach has unravelled as Peel, the industrial group owned by British billionaire John Whittaker, is understood to have been unable to ascertain the source of the money behind the bid.

Representatives in the UAE insisted that they had provided all the relevant details. Rishi Somaiya, representing Mr Al Hashmi, told the Telegraph that “we are absolutely not interested” in bidding unless permitted by Peel to conduct further due diligence on the airport.
The decision sparked criticism from local politicians such as Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and Ed Miliband, the former leader of the Labour Party.

Mr Miliband, MP for Doncaster North, accused Peel of not wanting to save the airport and claimed the company had refused to consider a “credible” bid first brokered by council leaders.

Revelations this weekend throw significant doubt about whether a credible bid still exists.

UK lawyers acting for the UAE consortium sent representations confirming proof of funds in a letter to Peel on Monday. However, they are understood to have not met Peel’s requirements, sources said. The group has not set out all the names of the people involved in the consortium, they added.

Part of Peel’s concerns are understood to relate to continued relations between companies in Ajman, where Mr Al Hashmi operates, and Russian businesses following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Ajman Chamber of commerce met Ilya Raevskii, Russia’s Acting Consul General in Dubai, as recently as July “to strengthen economic relations and diversify foreign partnerships”, according to news agency WAM.

Mr Somaiya insisted there was no Russian involvement in the bid, saying: “There is no Russian money.”

He said that although the consortium remained “on standby” and was interested in the airport as an investment opportunity, negotiations had stalled. He added that although the bidding consortium was credible, they had not yet put forward a firm bid.

“Nobody is desperate to buy, and it looks like they're not desperate to sell,” he said.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport traces its history back to Finningley Airfield in 1915. The Royal Flying Corps used it during the First World War as a base from which they could intercept German Zeppelin airships.

The airfield’s main runway was extended to nearly 3km in length, allowing it to host the first posting of Avro Vulcan bombers. The base was also designated a space shuttle emergency landing site. It was converted into a commercial airport in 2005.

Despite Liz Truss vowing to “protect this airport and this infrastructure” during her first Prime Minister’s questions, and the Labour-run South Yorkshire local authority offering to bankroll the site until October 2023, the airport is in the process of being wound-down.

A Judicial Review of the closure is expected to begin this week following a legal challenge by the local council. Officials have also threatened to try and impose a compulsory purchase order to prevent Peel from shuttering the base.

A spokesman for the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority said: "It's completely right that Peel is carrying out due diligence as part of their negotiations with interested prospective buyers. We introduced a number of different organisations to Peel following their announcement of a strategic review into operations at Doncaster Sheffield.”

A Doncaster Council spokesman said: "We are unable to comment as it would be inappropriate to do so when there is a judicial review legal process underway."

Peel Group declined to comment.

CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT Telegraph Online .

[Unknown74]

It’s even more of a shame for me as that I never got to the Finningley Airshow due to it being the same Weekend/ Day as Leuchars and being from Scotland Leuchars was the better option - no disrespect to Finningley.