Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Calls for consultation to be extended

The owners of Doncaster Sheffield Airport have been urged to extend a consultation on the future of the site. Peel Group has begun a six-week consultation after saying the airport "may no longer be commercially viable". But politicians in South Yorkshire want the deadline pushed back to the end of 2022 and have asked the firm to outline all the options being considered. Meanwhile, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said he has not ruled out public ownership of the airport. In a letter to John Whittaker, chairman of Peel Group, political leaders, including Mr Coppard, and MPs Nick Fletcher, Ed Miliband and Rosie Winterton, said they were "disappointed" with the length of the consultation. It states: "We encourage Peel Group to extend the consultation period to the end of 2022 to enable meaningful engagement and consideration of options." It also calls for the owners to "outline all of the options they are open to exploring for the future of the airport", including the sale of the site.<br/>