What is their attitude? Have you spoken with them, or are you simply going off the statement on the petition website?
Well if you must:
Firstly, I'd start by putting the petition on the council's own website:
Opens with:
In light of the fast-developing Advanced Manufacturing Park,
In the past Sheffield City Airport facilitated daily shuttle services to European capitals: services which were demonstrably viable in commercial terms.
So the list of European capitals included DUB + BRU & AMS, all within range of the puddle jumpers. Most other European capitals were excluded due to range issues, whereas CDG, which would have been within range, never started.
Since then, commercial aviation in the region has switched to the Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield. This has established a growing and successful programme of leisure and tourism flights to holiday destinations
The only time DSA was growing was when it started from a zero baseline.
However, it is not suitably placed to provide the fast-turnaround easy-access short-haul flights
DSA is perfectly capable of turning around aircraft very quickly, and of providing a very short walk from kerb to aircraft. Clearly, there are other reasons why it doesn't have more business routes that can't be explained by it being a bit further away from Sheffield than SZD.
We perceive that two airports within the Sheffield City Region, each with its own commercial and operational focus, can jointly meet the economic and social needs of the travelling public.
They might perceive that, but the market is clearly struggling to support one airport. Therefore I rest my case.