FlyDoncaster strengthens board as airport reopening plans progress
Three new directors have been appointed as work continues to progress plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Dan Fell, chief executive of Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, has joined the board alongside Andrew Offer, of aviation business 2Excel, and aviation consultant Stephen Barker, who has previously held senior positions at Gatwick and Birmingham airports.
2Excel is based at, and already operating from. the airport.
At the same time, Doncaster Council chief executive Damian Allen has stepped down from the board, while fellow Doncaster Council officers Debbie Hogg and Christian Foster remain as directors.
The appointments form part of a wider refresh of the FlyDoncaster board, with three further appointments expected in future.
The board changes come as the project continues to work towards meeting the conditions attached to £160m of funding from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to support the airport’s reopening.
As part of the funding agreement, the combined authority, led by Mayor Oliver Coppard, will appoint two non-executive directors with commercial and aviation expertise to the FlyDoncaster board.
However, the release of the funding also depends on the successful renegotiation of key terms within the lease agreement between Doncaster Council and landowner Peel.
Aongside that, councillors voted in May to continue backing the original plan to finance the reopening of DSA, rejecting a motion from Reform members seeking to overturn £57m of promised funding.
