fairflyer: Well summed-up. No hope of licenced extension of runway length no doubt due to the recent RESA provisions, which could well cut down on what applied before. Runway dimension was 3972ft/1211 meters, but from memory the LDA was less from certainly one end, maybe both. I have a figure of around 3600ft in my memory.
One poster talks about an extension, but at one end miles of factory/warehouse/housing, and at the other a drop down in level towards the Parkway road and the M1 motorway, and if my memory serves, an area of land containing some quite meaty electricity pylons. Must have been "sweaty palms" landing there in a single, at least approaching over the east end of Sheffield.
I dont have an answer to the commercial passenger flights question, but for business/executive flights it would appear to be either Finningley, not too far away down the M1 and M18, or Gamston, a little further away, using the M1, M18 and A1.
My namesake EGCA, Coal Aston airfield, is a non-starter for business flights despite being no more than 15 minutes from the industrial east end of Sheffield. EGCA has an undulating grass runway of 2400ft, but the planning consent stipulates a weekly maximum number of movements, around 20 from memory, and is strictly PPO with the owners/operators needing to move grazing animals at times.
So, if you run a business in Sheffield and want to take a scheduled airline flight to say Europe, you still have a lengthy journey to a major airport with a good selection of flights. I really dont see this situation changing.