Background Information

History

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, the UK's newest purpose built international Airport, is built on the site of a former Royal Air Force airbase, RAF Finningley (world famous for its military air displays). The scheme to convert RAF Finningley into a commercial airport attracted a massive amount of support from local residents, the business community and particularly the wider aviation industry, who appreciated that there was a gap in the provision of aviation services within the Yorkshire, Humber & surrounding regions.

RAF Finningley opened in 1936 and is best known as the front line Bomber Command base during World War II and the Cold War. The base also provided an air crew training centre of excellence for pilots and navigators.

The airport runway is just less than 2 miles (2891 metres) long and was resurfaced in 1989 before the Ministry of Defence declared the site surplus to requirement in March 1995.

The station flag was finally lowered in April 1996 and many feared that this would be the end of this famous airbase. However, in June 1999 Peel Holdings purchased the site with the view to turning it into a commercial airport serving 2.3m passengers and 62,000 tonnes of freight.

Airport Operator/Ownership

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is part of the Peel Airports Group, the Airport Group for the North of England. Peel Airports is a subsidiary of Peel Holdings Ltd, a leading UK based property and transport company with assets valued at over £5bn. In addition to Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Durham Tees Valley Airport are also part of The Peel Airport Group.

Why Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield?

Robin Hood Airport commenced commercial operation on 28 April 2005. on the site of a former Royal Air Force base sits a brand new terminal, and one of the UK's longest runways. Our objective is to offer more choice to the regions we serve, and by doing this we aim to become the airport for choice for passengers east of the Pennines.

Because of the excellent quality of infrastructure already in place (the Airport has one of the longest runways in the north of England), Robin Hood Airport has the capacity to handle charter, scheduled, long-haul, freight, general and business aviation internationally.

Reason Behind The Airport Name

Britain had been slow to follow the rest of the world in naming its airports after national heroes and leaders: Ronald Reagan (Washington), John Wayne (Orange County), Charles de Gaulle (Paris), John F Kennedy (New York), Leonardo da Vinci (Rome), Mozart (Salzburg), Pope John Paul II (Puerto Delgado, Azores and Krakow) and even the Spanish fictional character, Don Quixote (Madrid), have all lent their names to major airports.

Robin Hood, who is known to have spent much of his life around the Doncaster area, particularly Conisbrough and Tickhill Castles, shot ahead of other famous people with local links when Peel Airports asked for the opinion of prospective airport customers. Douglas Bader, the World War II pilot, pioneering aviator Amy Johnson and opera singer Lesley Garrett were among the leading contenders, which also included the Pilgrim Fathers who have strong local connections. However, Robin Hood was by far the most familiar to a worldwide audience.

Robin Hood is a well-known and well-loved character the world over, and one who is undeniably associated with this part of the country. Peel wanted the Airport to be known for first-class security, safety and efficiency, but also wanted to inject an element of fun and enjoyment into the travellers' experience. The Robin Hood brand will enable us to inform people about what the area has to offer, as well as providing a ‘personality' for the Airport.

Doncaster Sheffield was included in the Airport name as the ability to pinpoint the Airport in terms of its location within the UK is vital for both outbound and inbound passengers. Lessons have been learned from where other airport names have been unclear as to the specific location in relation to local towns and cities on a map. Most airports have a location embedded (eg London Stansted, London Heathrow, Leeds Bradford).

What next?

Within the space of just over 4 years, the airport already welcomes over 1 million passengers annually through its terminal and hopes to develop further services and continue to increase the range of destinations for passengers in the South Yorkshire and Sheffield City Region, over the coming months and years.

Over 40 destinations can be reached from Robin Hood Airport.

The airport has recently embarked on a comprehensive public consulation of its Draft Airport Master Plan which which set out the airports vision for the future development and growth through to the year 2030.