Several posters have mentioned the airport's recent success in attracting freight operators because of its very long runway. As I see it, this guarantees the airport's future, and means that it does not have to engage in a suicidal fight to rapidly attract passenger flights, especially as they will demand major expenditure on facilities.
If the suggested major housing goes ahead, and if the public vote with their wallets and patronise the airlines that provide services, then it may rapidly get into a virtuous circle of growth. As I have pointed out, the railway from Doncaster passes over the ECML, and I think that, since the line is a major freight route, it will have had the bridges raised so that extending the electrification to Finningley will not be ridiculously expensive WHEN the demand appears, if it does.