During
the court hearing in November, James Maurici KC, barrister for Doncaster Council, argued that the consultation by Peel Group on the future of the airport had been too short to find a potential buyer. He claimed the outcome of the consultation had been "predetermined" and also highlighted the number of public services the airport hosted, including military, coastguard and police aircraft.
But in response, John Litton KC, representing Doncaster Sheffield Airport Limited, said Peel Group did not have a duty to launch a consultation and that it had extended the consultation period twice to nearly 11 weeks at the request of Doncaster Council. Independent consultants had judged the airport to be unviable and Peel Group had not received full details of the potential buyers Doncaster Council claimed had been found, he added.