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Doncaster Sheffield Airport

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Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield (IATA: DSA, ICAO: EGCN) is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase in Finningley, South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies 6 nautical miles southeast of Doncaster and eighteen miles from Sheffield. The Airport principally serves the metropolitan counties of South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire moreover due to its key location, a population of more than six million potential customers can access the airport within a 60 minute drive.

The opening was marked by the first commercial flight from the airport, destined for Palma in Majorca, which departed exactly on time at 0915 on April 28, 2005. The Captain of the first flight from Robin Hood Airport was Paul Rafferty of ThomsonflyTemplate:Fn. The airport is expected to see at least one million passengers during 2006. Three months after opening the airport had handled 300,000 passengers, by December 2005 the figure rose to 500,000 and within the first year had risen to 900,000 passengers. 60 weeks after opening, the airport had handled over 1 million passengers.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P876) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

The majority of flights from the airport are operated by Thomsonfly, with a few flights operated by Thomas Cook, Pegasus, Air Europa, BH Air, Wizzair, Flybe, Flyglobespan, Onur Air and Ryanair. On 28th March 2006 Ryanair announced an expansion of their services from Doncaster, with additional flights to Pisa and Girona. On 26th June 2006, Flybe announced it was establishing a twice daily service from Doncaster to Belfast City Airport from October 2006. In September 2006, Flyglobespan announced that from Summer 2007, weekly flights from Doncaster would commence to Toronto, Canada, this being the first scheduled long-haul destination served from Doncaster. It was also announced at a Dubai conference on 18th September 2006 that Pakistani Airline Shaheen Air International will be flying from Doncaster Sheffield to Islamabad and Toronto from Summer 2007. Also Wizzair have annouced they are to start a four times weekly service to Gdansk and increase the frequency of the Katowice route to four times weekly both from July 2007. Late November Goldtrail Holidays announced that they would be flying to Dalaman from the Airport Summer 2007 using Onur Air.

History

Main article: RAF Finningley

Facilities

The airport's runway has a length of 2,891 metres (9,485 feet) and a width of 60 metres (197 feet), making it longer and wider than those at many other airports in northern Britain. This capability may make the airport attractive to operators of wide-bodied, long-haul or older cargo-carrying aircraft. The reason the Airport has such a long runway stems from its history as a former long-range nuclear bomber base (see RAF Finningley). The Airport currently has a single runway designated 02/20 and there is significant room for further passenger and cargo capacity expansion when the market requires. Operators Peel Holdings also own Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Part of the Airport site is being developed into a Business and Technology Park which could potentially be linked with the M18 motorway via a link road at Junction 3. This in itself might attract further investment into the Region.

Due to open in late summer 2007 is a Ramada Encore chain hotel, which will have 150 bed capacity. Work is also progressing on a new 62 acre business park accross from the terminal, which will link to a new access road into the airport via nearby Hurst Lane.

At the airport

Landside (Check in Hall/Airivals Hall/Observation Lounge)

Airside (Departure Lounge)

  • Costa Coffee
  • Duty & Tax Free Shopping - Alpha
  • Bar 08
  • World News
  • Serendipity Games
  • Restaurant 08

Getting to Robin Hood Airport

The Airport is located close to the M18 Motorway, but with no direct link road. Also nearby are the A1(M) Motorway, M62 motorway, M1 motorway roads. A direct motorway road link from the M18 junction 3 to the airport is planned and is expected to open by 2010Template:Fn. There is also a connection from Junction 34 of the A1(M) Motorway. The Airport has 2,500 car parking spaces.

  • Map sources for Robin Hood Airport, located at 53°28′29″N 1°0′16″W / 53.47472°N 1.00444°W / 53.47472; -1.00444

Doncaster station is a major UK Railway Station and is served by Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, GNER, TransPennine Express, Central Trains, Midland Mainline and Hull Trains. Doncaster is 1 Hour 35 Mins from London Kings Cross or 20 Mins from Sheffield Station (using direct services). From Doncaster Station several direct bus services transport passengers to the Airport.

In addition, the airport lies alongside the Doncaster to Lincoln railway line, and plans for a station have been submitted for local planning permission.

Public transport is by hourly bus from Doncaster town centre. At present the airport is served by various airport bus links from all major local bus companies. These include:

Airlines and destinations

Scheduled Flights

Charter Flights

Summer Destinations

  • BH Air (Bourgas, Varna)
  • Thomsonfly (Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancun, Corfu, Dalaman, Orlando Florida-Sanford, Girona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Larnaca, Malta, Menorca, Naples, Paphos, Pisa, Puerto Plata, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Tenerife-South, Verona, Zakynthos)
  • Thomas Cook (Dalaman (Pegesus Airlines), Gran Canaria (Air Europa), Monastir (Nouvelair), Palma (Air Europa), Tenerife (Air Europa))
  • Goldtrail Holidays (Dalaman (Onur Air))

Winter Destinations

  • Thomsonfly(Alicante, Faro, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Paphos, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife South)

Thomsonfly Also fly on a weekly basis to 4 Ski Destinations:

  • Plovdiv (Saturday)
  • Salzburg (Saturday)
  • Chambery (Saturday) New for 2007/8
  • Turin (Sunday)

The Airport also has various Fly-Cruise Departures to:

  • Barbados
  • Montego Bay (Jamaica)
  • Fort Lauderdale (U.S.A.)
  • New Orleans (U.S.A.)

The airport has an email address where new routes can be suggested or requested. This can be found here.

The Airport in the media

During its first few years of operation, Robin Hood Airport has feautred alot in the media. Numerous articles on its status as the UK's newest International Airport has seen it become part of the debate into air tourism and enviromental issues. On 24 January 2007, the aiport featured in the BBC Two documetry, Should I Really Give Up Flying?, with local Doncaster celebrity, Brian Blessed fronting local opinions on the issue. Robin Hood Airport has also been a location spot for some dramatic scenes filmed and feautred in Emmerdale.

The Airport name

The name is now often simply referred to on travel websites and on other literature as Doncaster/Sheffield Airport or Doncaster Airport, even though the official name is Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield.

The Airport was named 'Robin Hood' based on the following local information:-

  1. The original Robin Hood legends are set in Barnsdale Forest the area of South Yorkshire which surrounded Doncaster and Pontefract.
  2. This legend is reinforced by the fact that the village pub in nearby Hatfield Woodhouse has always been known as the Robin Hood and Little John
  3. The Airport has a historical reference to Nottinghamshire (as the parish of Finningley was, until 1974 and the Local Government Act 1972, administered as part of Nottinghamshire) and still resides in the boundary of the Diocese of Nottingham. [1]
  4. Some later Robin Hood legends - and the popular 20th century books, fims and TV programmes are set in Sherwood Forest.[2]
  5. The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is closer to what is left of Sherwood Forest than the City of Nottingham is. [3]
  6. The forests of Sherwood and Barnsdale merged in this area of Yorkshire. [4]
  7. The name would provide an identity which would raise a lot of attention (if a little controversy) for the Airport and create a marketing opportunity.[5]

The Airport name has caused media controversy as Robin Hood has not during the 20th century been regularly associated with Doncaster; despite the Barnsdale legends, and the references to Robin Hood in pubnames such as the aforementioned Robin Hood and Little John. Many citizens of Nottingham feel that Robin Hood should be the icon of their City alone (despite the fact that it was the Sheriff that came from Nottingham).

Notes

References

  1. ^ [2]
  2. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood_in_popular_culture
  3. ^ [http://mapit2.nottscc.gov.uk/jsp/simplemap/default.htm?circle=400&postcode=NG219HN&label=Sherwood%20Forest%20Country%20Park&zoomfactor=4
  4. ^ - Reference to Barnsdale Forest with Map also showing Merger of Forests in this area
  5. ^ - Evidence of Controversy caused by Airport Name and Marketing opportunity
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