Airport rescue bid was all too little, too late...

I read the letter from PCC Billings (Chronicle, October 14 ) about the potential closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, with interest. From his letter, it appears that

SYP were not aware of the potential closure of the airport, and consequently have no contingency plan in place.

Having spent five minutes looking at the airport accounts (company number 03693604) at Companies House it is immediately very clear why Peel have thrown in the towel.

They have been losing millions every year and have accumulated losses to March 31, 2021 of £231 million (or put another way, £2,310 for each person reported to have signed the petition).

Losses in 2020 were £11.2 million and in 2021, £9.6 million. I would expect with a further 18 months of losses these could now total over £250 million, or £2,500 per petition person.

No business can sustain this and this should have been immediately apparent to anyone involved in dialogue with Peel.

Does anyone know what the

PCC, South Yorkshire Mayor and South Yorkshire Combined Authority, MPs and council leaders have been doing in the last few years to monitor DSA as a key infrastructure asset to ensure its survival? To the outside eye, it seems to be too little, too late.

And for anyone thinking of buying DSA as an airport it reminds of the long standing joke about football clubs.

How do you get £1 million from buying a football club? Start with £100 million.

Why would a business risk buying a loss-making airport when most of the local politicians are actively demonising the oil and gas industry and rushing headlong into the Net Zero abyss?

It seems to me that these politicians are reaping what they have sown, but it is the DSA workers who will have to pay the price.