Sheffield Airport To Close - 22nd April 08
Better red than ...
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Appleby-in-Westmorland Cumbria England
Posts: 1,412
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
How do you work that one out with Doncaster space port just up the road?
Its actually quicker to drive to East Midlands airport than Robin Hood airport.
Has a major carrier just pulled out of Robin Hood?
Sheffield carried business flights (this generates more inward investment). Robin Hood is just holiday flights (this carries money away from the region).
Sheffield as a training facililty would have been good with ILS/ DME/ NDB and VDF available, and four VORs in range for SID and STARs, as long as the holds were kept high enough to keep noise down. I suggested this to the airport manager (or one of the five we had in the last four years) but I guess that got 'peeled' like anything else that would have made the place a success.
I guess they missed out on the whole Don Valley regeneration
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: UK,Twighlight Zone
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There you go, you have 2 airports in driving distance!!!
It was obvious from day 1 that this was never going to be a viable airfield. Runway to short, transport system around it not good enough and most importantly not enough demand.
Airlines are not interested in diverse operating bases, it costs to much in ground infrastructure, staff etc to man them when they can force people main hubs and get a better return. It's the reason why the regional airports are more expensive than the big hubs for flights that are effectively the same distance in operating terms.
Sheffield was one victim of this and Peel just capitalized on the opportunity.
It was a shame none of the bigger flying schools took the opportunity to locate at the site after the SEP restriction was withdrawn. What was left was a few private flyers and a couple of schools using an asset that was far more valuable as industrial space.
As is typical in aviation the demand was not there and pilots were not prepared to pay for the services so good financial sense takes over.
Getting all emotional does not change the fact that a couple of hundred grand in GA business would be matched by one office building. It is simple finance.
It was obvious from day 1 that this was never going to be a viable airfield. Runway to short, transport system around it not good enough and most importantly not enough demand.
Airlines are not interested in diverse operating bases, it costs to much in ground infrastructure, staff etc to man them when they can force people main hubs and get a better return. It's the reason why the regional airports are more expensive than the big hubs for flights that are effectively the same distance in operating terms.
Sheffield was one victim of this and Peel just capitalized on the opportunity.
It was a shame none of the bigger flying schools took the opportunity to locate at the site after the SEP restriction was withdrawn. What was left was a few private flyers and a couple of schools using an asset that was far more valuable as industrial space.
As is typical in aviation the demand was not there and pilots were not prepared to pay for the services so good financial sense takes over.
Getting all emotional does not change the fact that a couple of hundred grand in GA business would be matched by one office building. It is simple finance.
niknak
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 2,335
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Either goatface works for Peel or is a member of the Diplomatic Corps (dismissed)
I was involved with, although not working in any way for, Peel, during their early part of the takeover at Sheffield, but from the outset they made it very clear to everyone, especially the politicians, that they were developing Finningly and as soon as Robin Hood opened, their involvement at Sheffield would end.
I've no idea how much it cost Peel to keep Sheffield going, but it was a political move and they've done nothing that hasn't been done before in the airport industry (MAN PLC buying HUY to get rwy 2 at MAN) or anywhere else in industry.
Sheffield City is a fantastic G/A facility, but it never was, never has been and never would have been a commercially viable enterprise, if it was your business/income, would you keep it going and/or who should subsidise the losses?
I was involved with, although not working in any way for, Peel, during their early part of the takeover at Sheffield, but from the outset they made it very clear to everyone, especially the politicians, that they were developing Finningly and as soon as Robin Hood opened, their involvement at Sheffield would end.
I've no idea how much it cost Peel to keep Sheffield going, but it was a political move and they've done nothing that hasn't been done before in the airport industry (MAN PLC buying HUY to get rwy 2 at MAN) or anywhere else in industry.
Sheffield City is a fantastic G/A facility, but it never was, never has been and never would have been a commercially viable enterprise, if it was your business/income, would you keep it going and/or who should subsidise the losses?
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Retford, UK
Posts: 476
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What was left was a few private flyers and a couple of schools using an asset that was far more valuable as industrial space.
I still believe with motivated ownership and the council on-side it could have been viable as mixed G/A, air-taxi, charter, helicopter, flying school and so on.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 1,040
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sheffield City Airport was just on the local news (Look North), they revealed the identity of the mystery man but unfortunately I missed the start of the report! 
The report did not go into much really, just a short interview with the businessman and also a bit about SCAM who are mounting a legal challenge. They are also trying to stop Peel digging up the runway, this is new info to me as I thought they were just placing concrete blocks on it.
Peel and Sheffield City Council were both invited to respond but did not want to be interviewed, what a surprise there. Will see what happens.
J.
The report did not go into much really, just a short interview with the businessman and also a bit about SCAM who are mounting a legal challenge. They are also trying to stop Peel digging up the runway, this is new info to me as I thought they were just placing concrete blocks on it.
Peel and Sheffield City Council were both invited to respond but did not want to be interviewed, what a surprise there. Will see what happens.
J.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Squashed between Luton, Stansted & Heathrow
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If anyone wants to do anything about it they had better be very quick. I rang the airport today to see if would be possible to fly in once it became unlicensed (20:00 Mon 21st April) but before the airport formally closed and was told no way as the runway was being dug up straightaway. The airport closure date of 30th April seems to relate to the airport business as that is when the staff finish.
niknak
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 2,335
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"I'll buy the airport at the right price"
So would I, around £1 debt free would be the right price.
Unfortunately, whilst Andrew Cook is a very good, British engineer, he clearly knows nothing about airports or aviation and I would suggest that this is no more than a short lived spot of industrial attention seeking.
Perhaps he should concentrate on the battle he's facing with the far East with regard to his engineering prospects and stick with what he knows.
So would I, around £1 debt free would be the right price.
Unfortunately, whilst Andrew Cook is a very good, British engineer, he clearly knows nothing about airports or aviation and I would suggest that this is no more than a short lived spot of industrial attention seeking.
Perhaps he should concentrate on the battle he's facing with the far East with regard to his engineering prospects and stick with what he knows.
