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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Milo Boyd

Last flight at Doncaster Sheffield takes off as crew 'in tears' and locals furious

The final flight out of the best rated airport in the UK took off this weekend ahead of its closure.

The plane departed at 10.55pm from Doncaster Sheffield Airport on Saturday for Katowice in Poland.

In doing so it marked the start of the end of the airport's operations after owners Peel Group decided it was not commercially viable.

A final few flights are due to land at Doncaster Sheffield this week before it is shuttered for good.

Earlier this month the airport placed number one in a customer rating of the UK's aviation travel hubs.

On October 22 1,000 people marched to save the airport from closure (Asadour Guzelian)

The closure will be a massive blow for the local community, both in terms of those who used it and the 800 people employed there.

It has caused great anger by those in South Sheffield who feel let down and left behind by the closure, which former PM Liz Truss pledged to stop at the start of her premiership.

"I'm disgusted. It's a waste of a good runway," one holiday-maker told BBC Look North at the airport on Saturday.

"A lot of people use it. The crew on our flight were on their penultimate flight and they were in tears."

Peel Group announced last month that it would close at the end of October due to a lack of financial viability.

A petition of more than 100,000 signatures calling for the airport to remain open was delivered to the Department of Transport by MPs Louise Haigh and Ed Miliband earlier this month.

Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband helped lead the protests (Asadour Guzelian)

Last week Shadow transport secretary Ms Haigh, Labour MP for Sheffield Heeley, called on the Government to stop the closure.

"The Government has repeatedly refused to meet with the mayor of South Yorkshire and with other regional leaders to discuss what options are open," she said.

"It is truly a slap in the face to the hundreds of people whose jobs currently hang in the balance."

She also criticised the Peel Group for not taking up local authority offers of funding to keep the airport open.

Ms Haigh added: "It is obvious that the Peel Group never had any intention of negotiating in good faith so it is not an option to Doncaster council or the mayor of South Yorkshire to purchase shares in the airport given they are refusing to sell."

Liz Truss pledged to protect the airport (ISABEL INFANTES/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

In her first PMQs appearance, Ms Truss said the airport would be protected.

"Regional airports including Doncaster Sheffield Airport are a vital part of our economic growth and what I will make sure is that the new transport secretary (Anne Marie Trevelyan) is immediately onto this issue," she said.

“She’s already contacting the people in Doncaster and Sheffield to protect this airport and protect the vital infrastructure and connectivity to help our economy grow.”

Nick Fletcher, Conservative MP for Don Valley, will lead an adjournment debate on the airport on Monday evening.

The Peel Group has been contacted for comment.

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