- 4 months ago
The Yorkshire Post's Westminster Correspondent Ralph Blackburn puts your questions to South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard surrounding the possible re-opening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
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00:00Brilliant. Hello and welcome everyone. If anyone is watching yet, this is the
00:06Yorkshire Post's question and answer session with South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard
00:10on the potential plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Thanks very
00:15much for your time today Oliver. My pleasure. Brilliant. The way it's going to work,
00:20we've got a lot of questions sent in already, so thank you everyone for your
00:24engagement with this. We will slowly go through those and then if you have
00:29any other questions please just leave them in the comments and we'll try and
00:33pick everything up but like I said we have had a lot so we'll do our best to
00:36get through everything. If you've missed part of this it will be available to
00:41watch afterwards on our Facebook page and also on our website as well and it will
00:47also be covered in the paper tomorrow so make sure you pick up a copy of that. I
00:53guess a good place to start. I would say one of the main comments we've had is
00:58people have said why haven't we had an answer on the airport reopening until
01:04now. We're due to get that on the 9th of September but I just wondered if first of
01:09all I guess if you talk a bit about the process that yourself and the Merrill
01:15Combined Authority is going through to get to the stage where you'll make a decision.
01:20Of course yeah. So look I mean first things first to say I want to get to an answer as
01:24swiftly as possible too. I recognise the frustration of course I do and the sooner
01:29we can get to that answer the better and but it is hugely complicated like
01:33reopening an airport is no small thing you know there is a huge amount of work to
01:37be done. If anyone who has ever bought a house thinks about the process you have to
01:42go through. The first house I ever bought took me a year from putting the offer in and having it accepted to getting the keys was a year.
01:47We're three years out from Peel announcing that strategic review two years away, two
01:55years since the airport closed and we're on the cusp of taking that funding
01:59decision. What that funding decision will be I don't know I can't give anyone any
02:03guarantees actually and but we're working at pace but it's hugely complex if you
02:08think about the number of things that we need to try and figure out not least
02:11can we do we have enough money to sustain this project into the long term to get it
02:17to a point of viability and profitability. Now I don't think anyone's in any
02:21doubt about the desire of people like me certainly Doncaster Council people
02:25right across South Yorkshire to reopen the airport but these airports don't
02:29exist on desire alone they have to exist on money and funding and we have to
02:34make sure they have a good strategic fit that we know that we can get the
02:36passengers in that we know we get the freight that we know that we can
02:39redevelop the whole site and that the lease arrangements work in our favor to
02:42allow us to do all of that and we're still working that through we're still
02:45working that question through so look it's complicated and this I think if
02:49people are looking at you know what we're trying to do I think people would
02:52understand and recognize it is complicated and I know people want it
02:55open and I know people want us to take the decision of course they do and that's
02:59fair but I can't just take that decision because people are shouting at me on
03:02the internet I have to set that decision in the interest of the whole of
03:05South Yorkshire not just for me and for us for now but for the next 20-30 years
03:08I wonder if you could talk a bit the decision is going to happen like I said
03:12on the 9th of September I wondered if you could talk a little bit about how that
03:16process happens with yourself and the MCA board well so we've got it in for a key
03:22as a key decision for the 9th of September that's not to say it will
03:24definitely happen on the 9th of September so people are aware of that yeah and like
03:28we are trying to take that decision as soon as possible and it could be that we
03:31take an extraordinary meeting at a future date because we're still working
03:34through the problem yeah and the challenges are real you know there are real
03:37challenges in there that we need to overcome that we need to be assured
03:39about legally so look just so this people understand the way the system works
03:44there are people who work in this building lawyers my chief exec my finance
03:49director who are statutory officers they are people who are designated by law to
03:54protect the money of taxpayers this organization and do things by the book and
04:00I can only take decisions that they tell me I am able to take legally now you
04:05know I've told them what I want to try and achieve which is to try and reopen
04:07DSA but they have to tell me that we can do that and they have to tell the other
04:12leaders of the local authorities that we can do that and so we're working with
04:16people in this organization externally experts in the field of aviation to make
04:20sure we're taking smart decisions to allow us to get to that point so that's
04:23what we're trying to do and it's and it's really complicated and if you think
04:27about the number of moving parts in all of this not just the four leaders of the
04:31local authorities you have to help us take decisions in this building because
04:35they are part of the MCA legally but then all the other different stakeholders not
04:38least other airports clearly we've got stakeholders in terms of the government
04:42we've got people in terms of the private sector who have an interest in
04:44this we're negotiating with the landowners peel on the lease arrangements as
04:48well and then we're trying also to answer all the other questions about
04:51freight passengers air traffic control CAA and everything else there's a huge
04:55amount of complexity to this problem and we want to take that decision as soon as we
04:58can but we have to do it the right way the proper way and I can't legally pre-judge
05:02that decision I could have my preference and I've made clear my
05:05preference which is to reopen DSA but I can't pre-judge that decision because
05:08it's not my decision alone in law it has to be a decision of the whole of the MCA
05:12and that's the decision we want to take brilliant now you talk just there about
05:16your preference to reopen the airport I wondered if some of these might seem
05:19very obvious but I wondered if you could talk about you know obviously the pros and
05:23opening the airport but then also some of the I guess negatives that might be
05:28critical potential now what are you weighing up yeah of course look so huge
05:32pros in favor of the airports it creates jobs it creates growth and it means that
05:37we have a gateway to South Yorkshire for international visitors and a way for
05:41people then to do business outside of South Yorkshire directly and immediately
05:44and any number of businesses have said to me look we'd really like to fly out of
05:47DSA as well as killing people and just you know all of us who live in South Yorkshire
05:52would like an easy airport to fly from so that's absolutely absolutely right and that's the big
05:57kind of win potentially is that we we get all of that I mean if we get to fill
06:01out Gateway East as a development site and it's the biggest permission site in
06:05Europe at this point particularly with sustainable aviation and some of the
06:08companies that we know want to develop their sustainable aviation footprint
06:12particularly in South Yorkshire because of our world-leading expertise we've said
06:15it all the time we've already got Boeing Rolls-Royce and others in the region we want to build on
06:19that University of Sheffield did some pioneering work as well when it comes to
06:22sustainable aviation and so if we can build that out as well it creates even more
06:27jobs even more growth we've designated it as an investment zone so we get
06:30something called business rate retention which allows us to bring in the money
06:34into the MCA if we do develop out that site on the back of the work that we want
06:38to do there so it's got all of that going for it on the less positive side the
06:45airport never hit a high enough passenger numbers under the last owners to get to a
06:49point of viability according to them and I've got no reason to disbelieve but we
06:55think we can do more than that now we've got to show how and we've got to show
07:00that we can get to that level in a time frame that allows us to make enough
07:04money to keep the airport going bring in the carriers the the airlines who will
07:10help us to do that in a competitive marketplace we've also got to make sure
07:15that we've got that business interest in the wider side but also that we've got
07:18the infrastructure to support that development so anyone that's been to
07:21DSA will know you've clearly got you know the Great Yorkshire Way that leads
07:25up to it but we've got to put in more infrastructure if you want that to work
07:27not least electricity water runoff and how do you connect to the M18 then on to
07:33the M1 can we get rail link in there can we get tram train link in there all of
07:39that is you know something we have to work through now rather than getting to
07:41that problem once we spend a hundred million quid and say no actually we
07:44didn't understand this is what was going to happen yeah and so that's the
07:48challenge I'm faced with is kind of can I guarantee taxpayers that we're taking a
07:51calculated risk because it will be a risk if we do take that decision but a
07:55calculated risk that says we think we're going to be okay or am I taking a
07:59decision now which says actually we're likely to lose a load of money on this and
08:02then in five years or ten years or twenty years time actually this isn't
08:05going to be a viable airport we've lost that money and that's what I'm weighing up
08:08because my job is to make sure that as South Yorkshire we're moving this
08:11region forward but doing that in a smart way because once you spend that money
08:15it's gone and you know the opportunity cost of that is real do we want to spend
08:20that money on something else in Doncaster the city centre for instance do we want
08:24to spend that on something else in terms of transport connectivity that's what I've
08:28got to weigh up my preference is the airport because I think the airport's a
08:31huge opportunity but it's got to be done in the right way and we've got to be
08:35able to show people that not least the lawyers the accountants in this
08:38building as well as the leaders of the local authorities and the government that
08:41we're doing that for the right reasons that actually know our sums or we've got
08:45the sums right and we can move it forward so for anyone who's just joined this is
08:49the Yorkshire Post Q&A with South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard on whether
08:55Doncaster Sheffield Airport is might open and the plans around it whatever
09:01answers you missed so far you'll be able to watch them back on our Facebook page and the
09:05website and do post any questions in the comments so one of the questions we
09:10received from Paul Houghton on Facebook is about commercial flight operators he
09:17asked it before your speech yesterday so he he asked originally will flight
09:22operators be ready to take off by the spring although now we know that that
09:26might not happen until 2028 if the airport reopens but I wondered what what you
09:31were if you can talk about what are the potential plans or conversations for
09:36commercial flights yeah so we're engaging with the market so people will know the
09:39TUI and Wiz were the two subtenants that were using the airport most recently you
09:44know so obviously we're going back to people that use the airport previously
09:46we're talking to people in the market about who else might want to use DSA for
09:50that for that commercial passenger experience so you know like me I have DSA on my
09:56holidays and you know I know people want to do that and lots of people kind of are
09:59attached to that idea in particular but there is no future as I said in my speech
10:04yesterday for DSA purely as an airport that just does holiday flights that that
10:10isn't going to sustain the airport going forward and get the business in that we
10:14need what we need that airport to be is a full service opportunity for aviation so
10:18freight is a huge opportunity not least because if when you look at the wider
10:22opportunities around Doncaster junction 36 in Barnsley the whole of South York has
10:25got a big logistics base because we're in the center of the country which is
10:28great for us so potentially we can build out that opportunity around freight we've
10:33also got an opportunity for private flights so anybody wants to come in on a
10:36private flight to Doncaster Sheffield Airport that's another way of getting in
10:39some of that money and then also the wider site itself is right for investment
10:44when it comes to sustainable aviation advanced manufacturing and the business
10:48rate retention money the money we get back from business rates that we can now
10:52thanks to some of the decisions taken by the government we can then keep some of
10:55that money in South Yorkshire and use that to sustain the airport going forward as
10:58well so there's a whole suite of things that we need to be able to do commercial
11:01aviation particularly passenger flights holiday flights is part of that and
11:06that's why we're talking to the markets what we think it will happen is it will
11:09grow over time so I think getting back to roughly the numbers that we had before we
11:14think we can do that relatively swiftly beyond that it takes a bit of time to
11:17build and build and build that's where the challenge comes in and can we do that
11:22quickly enough are there is there enough interest in the market to keep the
11:26airport going and that's why we're trying to do our homework and talk to
11:29partners and talk to the leaseholders about kind of what that looks like going
11:32forward on more of the freight side of things we've got a question from Mick
11:37Goater on that he asked what cargo operators have you lined up for the
11:42airports I'm guessing some of this might be commercially sensitive and he says that
11:47due to its central location within the UK cargo operations could be vital yeah and
11:52that's and that's right and that's absolutely right and you know we had the
11:56meeting yesterday business community in Doncaster there were freight operators
11:59there logistics firms there they're all saying the same thing and then they're
12:01absolutely right you know the central location of South Yorkshire is is vital to
12:05that equation and we're really lucky to be well so well positioned there are some
12:08really brilliant logistics operations going on in South Yorkshire already some
12:12brilliant businesses and we're talking to everybody really about how we can
12:14expand on that and freight's a massive opportunity for South Yorkshire and we
12:17should build on that wherever we can I can't talk about specific conversations
12:20as people will hopefully understand but you know that is absolutely the plan to
12:24make freight a big part of our operation going forward if we do take that funding
12:27decision another question relating to this these are coming from Mary Mullen she
12:34says if the airport reopens will commercial flights definitely start by
12:382028 or could it become solely a freight airport and then separately she basically
12:46asks how much I guess taxpayer how much revenue is going to be needed for the
12:51airport to break even which might be a tricky one to answer but I guess you know so
12:57taking that second answer first that's that's the hundred and fifty million so it's
13:00not just revenue so sorry Mary I don't know if you know if you know this already so
13:04forgive me but other people may not so there's the difference between capital and
13:07revenue so revenue is the money that we have to sort of keep the lights on the
13:11day-to-day spending staff and utilities you name it security whatever it might be
13:16and capital is the money we put into things so the buildings that the
13:20equipment the stuff that you own and that's the capital money and there's a
13:24difference between capital and revenue but for the purposes of the question I'll
13:26probably lump them together in terms of just public funds that would go into the
13:30project and and that's why we're talking about in excess of 150 million pounds so we
13:34want to kind of if if we can take this decision want to put that money into the
13:37airport to sustain it and to get to a point A to reopen it so there's money
13:41we're going to need to spend on and getting the terminal back to where it needs to be
13:45developing it in fact new security equipment if you go to Luton where I was
13:50the other day for instance or Gatwick and where I was as well like actually what you
13:54see is CT machines that well you don't take the liquid out right and that's a new
13:57requirement from government so we're gonna have to invest in those sorts of
14:00things and we're gonna have to invest in kind of making sure that the luggage
14:03kind of controls and everything else are in place you know tossing up the
14:07terminal a bit you know be closed for a while now making sure everything works
14:12as well as kind of putting some lights back in buying the fire engines all that
14:16stuff is expensive we've then got to make sure we've got enough money to keep
14:19the airport going and some of that will then come in through revenue that we get
14:22from clients and people that want to work at the airport but some of that we'll
14:24have to put in as well so that's when we talk about 150 million pounds plus
14:28that's the money that we want to put in but we don't have an endless amount of
14:31money so can we can we see a pathway to getting to a point where we have enough
14:39money to keep it going till we know that it will be commercially viable that's the
14:43question we're trying to answer because I think it can be a viable airport and
14:47strategically is important to South Yorkshire can it be there before we don't
14:52have enough money to keep it going that's the question we're trying to answer and
14:55that's it not yet what I'm able to answer sufficiently well to be able to
14:58take that decision brilliant thanks for that answer there Oliver so yeah welcome
15:04to everyone who's just joined this is the Yorkshire Post Q&A with South Yorkshire
15:08Mayor Oliver Coppard and he's given us an hour of his time so we will be speaking
15:13until 3 or when your questions run out which probably won't happen but do keep
15:19sending the questions in thanks very much for the engagement on this we will try and
15:22get through as many as possible and I have got three questions which I've kind
15:28of grouped together they are from Liz Barber Gustavo Franklin and Glenn
15:34Picard it feeds into some of the stuff we've just been talking about where they
15:39say what gives you the confidence and you might not have this confidence yet
15:45because the decision hasn't been made but what are you looking for to show that
15:49Doncaster Council will be able to run an airport better than an experience stopper
15:54like Peel and they've also asked what could be done differently now from when
15:59it was a commercial airport yes so well I've said this all along I think the
16:04private sector are the best people to run airports and I've said that from day one
16:07which is why we've gone out to the market and brought in Munich as a partner to
16:12help actually do the work there's a difference isn't there between and I'm sure
16:15people understand this between who funds it and who runs it and of course as the
16:19funder we would have a say over how we want that process to operate going
16:25forward but that shouldn't be a sort of day-to-day decision from people like me
16:29or the mayor of Doncaster or anyone and politically to say right well you know I
16:33want a flight to Mallorca so please get that sorted it's got to be a kind of
16:37strategic conversation with experts in the field and that's what fly Doncaster is
16:41all about about having that standalone operator fly Doncaster who would then
16:46take sensible and smart decisions with expertise at its heart to kind of make
16:50that choice about where we need to go what the commercials look like where we
16:54need to put our focus are there operators or businesses we need to bring in you
16:58know whatever that might be and I think hopefully the difference we can make is we
17:02can be a bit more patient on the timetable because as a public sector we don't
17:06need to see a return in the same way because that's not our job our job is to
17:09make smart long-term strategic decisions and to a certain extent to spend public
17:13money to generate wealth generate opportunity that's what we're here to do
17:16it's not just simply paying money to get money back that we don't operate like a
17:20business in the same way but if we can take that long-term view with expertise
17:25at its heart then I think we can we can start to see over a sort of medium to long
17:31time period the impact paying off of the of that long-term long-term decision
17:35making and look you know fair play to peel they're a business right they are a
17:39business who has to show return for their shareholders and that's at the
17:42heart of what they do it legally by law they are required to return money to their
17:47investors that's how they are set up we're set up differently and so we're
17:51here to try and make life better for residents in South Yorkshire if we can't
17:55afford to do the project if we can't afford to move forward that that means we
17:59can't take this project forward but but ultimately we're trying to kind of get to a
18:03place where we can make that investment and can move forward with the airport
18:05projects and because because that's what I'm here to do and that's what we're
18:08here to do but we've got to do that with expertise and experts in the field and
18:11that's who we're talking to. Brilliant brilliant thanks for that answer Oliver we've
18:15got I guess a similar one to that on the on the peel aspect of it this is from
18:21Jason Clark Jason asked if you know why no other private investors came forward to
18:27take over the airport do you have any any thoughts on? Loads of private investors
18:32came forward to take on the airport you know literally dozens and dozens of
18:36investors started conversations with us about about the airport and whether or not
18:40they could take it on as a going concern there's always been the challenge of
18:43Peel owning the site right so Peel have owned that site for years they don't want
18:46to give up that site that's theirs I couldn't take someone's house off them I
18:50can't take someone's property off them that's not how the law works so Peel own it
18:55we now got through Doncaster a lease that Doncaster negotiated and signed
19:00they've got that lease in place there were then private sector investments who
19:04were looking at that saying you know we might be interested but that deal has to
19:07work for both of us right it has to work for the private sector has to work for
19:11us too and we didn't think on reflection that that was fair it wasn't a
19:15good deal and so actually it was better to take that challenge on ourselves and
19:19then bring in the private sector expertise through a group like Munich and
19:23potentially other experts as well that we're looking at and talking to
19:25and then move forward on that basis there was no shortage of private sector
19:29investment that was on the table but it's got to be the right deal and we
19:33just didn't think it was the right deal Doncaster having signed that lease then
19:36kind of wanted to talk to different investors about kind of what they could
19:39do within the confines of that lease and ultimately we just couldn't get over
19:41the line so that's why we are where we are now
19:44brilliant thank thanks for that answer very good to clarify all of that just to
19:49remind us to anyone who's just tuning in this is the Yorkshire Post Q&A with
19:53South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard on Doncaster Sheffield Airport and the
19:58possible reopening plans please do send your questions in in the comments section
20:03we have had a lot thank you very much for the engagement we will try to get to
20:07them as many as possible it's almost like people are really interested in the airport yes yeah
20:11yeah yes yes there are we've we've we've had over a hundred comments lots of
20:17questions so it's great to have that sort of engagement one a couple of
20:23questions from Ian Perkis and you sent quite a long comment on Facebook so I've had to
20:29distill it a bit but I think this sums up what you were asking he says how is the
20:36proposed business case adding up for DSA in the face of competition that has
20:40already been approved I think here he mentioned airport expansions contracts
20:45and expansions for places like Leeds Bradford and Teesside so yeah he's
20:51asking how does the business place for opening a new airport stack up when there's
20:54all this other expansion and competition okay well firstly not a new airport right so
20:58like slightly different challenge not to negate the point because it's a fair
21:03question secondly we're not operating in a in a static market you know so and the
21:08aviation market seems to be expanding and and that's why kind of Heathrow are
21:14looking to expand that's why Gatwick are looking to expand etc now I think you know
21:18I have my concerns to a certain extent about about expanding aviation markets I
21:22think South Yorkshire should get a bigger slice of the pie but I don't
21:26necessarily think the market should expand exponentially personally and but we're
21:30now looking at those numbers that that is the essence of what we're trying to
21:33understand is is there enough of a market out there for us to sustain it now
21:37I've always thought and I think the numbers back this up that there is a
21:40market there there's there's a strategic case there as well so it's not just
21:44about whether or not there's enough people who want to use the airports about
21:47what does it do for the economy of South Yorkshire more broadly that's part of the
21:50equation that we're looking at so yes the passenger numbers are important the
21:54freight numbers are important the private markets important but more broadly by
21:59having an airport in South Yorkshire does it create a set of strategic
22:02conditions that help us to grow the economy of the region and that's one of
22:06the things that kind of we're also looking at as well so don't get hung up
22:09just on passenger numbers they're really important not least because of some of
22:13the some of the implications of kind of lease arrangements everything else but
22:16largely because actually it's a bigger question that we have to answer how do we
22:20create that thriving a sustainable aviation hub how do we create opportunity how do we
22:25create jobs and growth through the airport rather than just have we got enough
22:28passengers just on the on the growth that with we're talking about here I
22:33wondered if you know it's now been around three years since the airport
22:38closing in 20 2022 what what kind of I guess that that was during COVID so it
22:45might be a bit tricky to say but what kind of loss of investment did that did
22:49that have what what have you guys looked at around the difference between when the
22:53airport was up and running just on a very basic level you'll hear from companies
22:57that were hoping to either locate or were located there who had to move I mean on
23:01a very basic level you know the flight schools for instance that were out of
23:05DSA which obviously couldn't carry on at DSA anymore so there was you know jobs
23:08there growth there opportunity there maybe on a smaller level but certainly
23:11really important we were talking to companies about whether or not they want
23:14to invest on Gateway East because they saw the potential to invest on that site and
23:18that's been in abeyance ever since and there were some big companies that wanted
23:22to invest at Gateway East and so there has been a loss not just of investment to a
23:27certain extent of confidence because as a result of the decision that was taken to
23:30close the airport which is why we're working so hard to try and get back to a
23:34better better place and but it's also about kind of the future as well as and it's
23:38about saying actually we've got this opportunity here and we're determined to
23:41try and maximize that opportunity and bring in that investment so for instance the
23:46sustainable aviation work around the airport and really only kind of functions
23:50effectively if you've got the airport operating at the heart of it you're not
23:53going to get sustainable aviation in there in terms of a market if you don't
23:56have the the actual runway and everything else operating so that's one of the
24:00challenges that we face it's got to be looked at holistically it's got to be
24:03looked at in the round if we're going to kind of take that funding decision and
24:06that's what we're trying to do brilliant we have one more question for me in
24:10Perkis and it's about the break clause so for everyone that doesn't know the lease
24:18arrangement that's been negotiated by Doncaster Council with Peel is for a 125
24:23lease in the airport with a five-year break clause so that's the time I guess
24:30to work out the full picture on whether and the airport can proceed if I wonder if
24:37you could talk about what are the thoughts around what needs to happen in
24:40that time or just using the break clause and if that is missed you know is the
24:45council and the combined authority is there any other opportunities to get out of it
24:49or is that the 125 lease in place? So people are going to be frustrated about this
24:53because I can't it's commercially confidential so I know some of that's in the
24:56public domain but I can't talk about it more broadly because I'd be breaking that
25:00commercial confidentiality so so forgive me because I'd like to because it would
25:03help it would help me to explain it it would make my life a lot easier I wouldn't have to second
25:07guess my words every time I was speaking and so bear with me what that's not
25:12quite right okay is all I would say yeah I can't explain quite why but it's not
25:15quite right there's some commentary online people will be able to Google but
25:18and look it's not quite right that that's the case and it's not entirely wrong
25:23either but it's not quite right and what we need to do is get the airport to a
25:27position of maximum viability and maximum passenger numbers and maximum growth as
25:32quickly as we can I think people understand that the lease does create some
25:36challenges within that it does there's no point denying that and and Doncaster
25:40council have signed that in good faith that they've done their best I kind of
25:44now need to operate on the basis that that's where we are and we've got to try
25:47and kind of find a way through that somehow and to get to those passenger
25:51numbers and that allow us to keep the airport thriving that's what we want to do
25:55anyway yeah that ultimately there's no point doing this if we're not trying to
25:58maximize the passenger numbers maximize the opportunity of that of that
26:02airport and that's what we want to do regardless of what the lease looks like
26:06we want to get to that position of maximum viability I've said 2028 for
26:09passengers if we can do it sooner we will I think 2028 is just being frank with
26:14people about the timeline Roz is right when she says actually the airport is
26:18actually open right now because you've got companies operating out of it already I
26:21think what we're talking about is a timeline to get to some maximum viability
26:24operational capacity capabilities that we don't currently have and that's what
26:28we're laying out in the work that we're doing so we can understand what those
26:31challenges look like not just because of the lease but because we want to
26:34maximize the opportunity as quickly as we can for jobs and for growth and for
26:37opportunity for everyone in South York so we've got a question from Richard
26:42side bottoms on this which has just come through on the Facebook live so thank you
26:46for your question Richard he asks again this this might be tricky with the
26:51commercial considerations but we'll ask it anyway he asks if a foreign group
26:58slash investor was on the horizon you know after the airport is up and running
27:02and it's working well would it be feasible to hand over the lease to them
27:06rather than have it as fly Doncaster or is that something would you like I guess the
27:13chance in the command authority to have this say going forward I'd like us to
27:18maximize the opportunity for South Yorkshire particularly for people who live here
27:22all of us who live in South Yorkshire I want that opportunity to be maximized for my
27:26friends my family you know I think everybody feels like that look it is
27:30absolutely important that we don't rule out that private sector investment and
27:34we haven't you know but it's got to be the right deal for taxpayers it's got to
27:37be the right deal for us it's got to be the right deal crucially for the
27:39airport so no there's there's nothing there that stops us from then bringing in
27:43that private sector expertise the private sector investment and that's what we want to do and
27:47we're not out of that business you know we are talking to people all the time about what they
27:50might be able to bring to this project and we will continue doing that
27:54regardless you know so if we are able to say that decision if we are able to get
27:58the airport back up and running then of course we want the private sector to look
28:01at what the opportunity looks like in terms of investment and growth and
28:04because we think it is a big opportunity and but we've got to have a deal that is
28:07right for them and for us pretty I'll let Oliver take a sip of tea so yeah thank you
28:14for all the questions that are coming in just a reminder Yorkshire Post we're
28:18speaking to South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard about the potential reopening of
28:22Doncaster Sheffield Airport we're half an hour in we've got up to half an hour to go
28:27the questions are still coming in unsurprisingly obviously a huge amount of
28:32interest in this J90 girl has asked and in a comment on Facebook live and I think
28:39we've spoken about this before why has the slippage in dates happened I think she's
28:45potentially talking about either the decision date but potentially also the
28:49commercial flight dates so yeah I wondered if you could talk about those two things
28:57so anybody interested in it I mean we'll put my speech from yesterday upon after
29:01we've done this I'll put that up online on my Facebook so anybody who wants to go
29:04and find me on Facebook on social media can watch the speech I gave yesterday it's
29:09about 20 minutes but it's worth watching in full if you've got the time and because I
29:13think it lays some of this out in some detail essentially we were hoping to
29:16bring in that private sector investment and Doncaster obviously led on that
29:20engagement as I say there was a significant amount of private sector
29:22investment but once we took that decision that none of those deals were right for
29:26the airport going forward we then had to do a whole load of more due diligence in
29:30order to look at whether we can put significant amounts of public money into
29:34the airport because it's a different calculation once we're the main investor and
29:38and so kind of we didn't be doing that work ever since and and it's a hugely
29:43complex thing you know people say this is taking a long time I think actually
29:48from start to finish where we are now we're working at record pace it is
29:52genuinely a really swift progress to have made it this far this quickly we're
29:56going to have a thousand pages of investor grade due diligence on the airport
30:02project by the time we get to a decision and a really really significant amounts of
30:06work are going into this we're spending money on consultants on external
30:10auditing of our own work to tell us if we've got that right because we're not
30:14just saying marking our own homework we want people who know this world know
30:17this space to tell us whether we've got that right and actually hold us to a
30:19higher standard because I'm determined to protect taxpayers money and make best
30:23use of taxpayers money in South Yorkshire because that's our money that we
30:26need to use for our future right so that so that's really important and that's
30:29why we're taking the amount of time we are in terms of the 2028 date look all I've
30:34done is offer some clarity because I think you know as I say spring 26 is an
30:38open airport I know Roz has said that I think there's all sorts of things that
30:42will be happening at the airport hopefully by spring 26 by 28 we'll have
30:46those passenger flights and there'll be a bunch of things that happen in between
30:48and I think that's fair to say and all I'm doing is trying to offer some
30:50clarity be as frank as I can with people because I know they care deeply about
30:54the airport everyone wants to book the holidays I do too so and we have
30:58absolutely got to be clear with people and that's what I'm trying to offer now
31:01we're a bit closer we know a bit more about the information what we can and can't do
31:04what works best I'll offer that clarity as much as I can and be transparent as
31:08accountable as I possibly can be brilliant thanks for that answer Oliver so
31:12good we've got two questions here which I'm gonna tie together so there's a
31:19question on Facebook from sorry forget the pronunciation of this of your name
31:24wrong this is I think from Wayming Yao who asked can you give a clear time-bound
31:30plan plan within the next 12 months on whether we'll see planes flying again or
31:34whether you're pursuing alternative development and then Richard Horrocks
31:39basically asked what will happen to the airport site if the gainshare funding
31:44isn't approved I think so both these people are regular airport watches which has been in touch with me
31:52yeah a few a few times and and seems to be particularly worried about the airport
31:58and look essentially and we are still trying to work out how to best reopen the
32:05airport with the numbers that we now know that the leases it is the finances that
32:11we have you know how can we best do that so no I can't give you a timetable
32:14because we haven't taken the decision yet and therefore I can't it wouldn't be
32:18sensible for me to sort of set hairs running by saying there's a specific date in mind as
32:22soon as possible is my commitment and and that's what we've always tried to do and
32:26we are working at record pace I've seen and on Wayming Yao's page he was sort of
32:30talking about other things that have happened in the time we've taken there were
32:33airport takeovers happening all over the place airport takeovers are a very
32:38different thing restarting an airport is a much more complex complicated problem
32:43whilst also changing the ownership and also changing the operating model that's a
32:47difficult thing to do and it's a very different challenge and to one that you
32:51know Manchester Airport group had when they took over Stansted for instance it's
32:54very different thing that we need to do I hope people understand that in terms of
32:58the alternative uses for the site we've always wanted an airport on that side
33:01now look I'm not prepared to get into a conversation right now about what might
33:05happen other than airport it's helpful we want to reopen an airport on that site if
33:09we can't do that then we will look at alternatives but I don't think that's a
33:12helpful conversation because my priority is getting through this work doing it
33:16with due diligence being transparent accountable as I can be possibly as I
33:20can be talking to our communities and making sure that we're showing that we're
33:23kind of absolutely cracking on doing the work we will take that decision as
33:27quickly as we can I will be absolutely I can we can come back and we can do it
33:31like a weekly thing of this if you want to but like look I just think for now
33:34focusing on that fact we're trying to get the work done trying to get over the
33:36line and trying to reopen the airport is what people need to hear and what we are
33:39trying to do brilliant thank you for that answer there Oliver so yeah just to
33:44remind everyone in case you don't know we're having a Q&A with South Yorkshire
33:50Mayor Oliver Coppard on Doncaster Sheffield Airport we've had a huge amount of
33:54questions so thank you so much for sending those in more is still coming in
33:58now thanks for all your engagement on this we're going to try and get through as
34:01many as possible but we may run out of time a slightly different subject here to to
34:09quite similar questions the first is from Richard Sully who is a research
34:15senior research fellow in sustainability partner
34:17he used to work here just for clarity excellent great to have that clarity
34:22Richard has asked if the funding is if the public funding is granted to
34:27reopen the airport will the mayor make public and all of the experts advice
34:32you've received for and against the decision yeah look we'll be absolutely as
34:36transparent as possible Richard knows as well because I think he signed off the
34:39steadily sustainability impact assessment from before so we can share that as
34:44well and and we'll share kind of all the other work that we've done as soon as
34:47we can as much as we can that there will be commercially confidential things in
34:50there of course there will and you know I want to be as transparent as
34:53possible people will see in there that the complexity of this deal and the
34:57challenges you know if we are able to share the vast majority of that people
35:00will see how just how complex these things are and how much work we're putting
35:04into getting this answer right and there are people let's be fair there are people on
35:07both sides of this I think it's fair to say Richard has had a bit of a change of
35:11opinion maybe I don't want to put words in his mouth but you know I think he's
35:14maybe less supportive now of some of those sustainability implications than he
35:17once was and that's fair people are allowed to change their minds and other
35:22people just don't think we should do it some people you know want us to do
35:24nothing else but reopen the airport I'm trying to do the right thing for
35:28everybody the maximum number of people in South Yorkshire and move us forward and
35:31that's my job but I need to do that at the same time as showing everybody that
35:35you know this is being done in the right way and ultimately that's got to be about
35:38transparency accountability it's why I think you guys are so important and I
35:41know you've done a great job the paper more broadly have done a great job of
35:45holding us to account of absolutely challenging us where you need to you know
35:48everybody else has seen that as well and I think that's really important and
35:50that's what politics should be about because you know us being transparent
35:53accountable and I guarantee I will do that wherever I can. Brilliant thank you for that
35:56question that answer sorry Oliver another question on this subject from
36:02Thomas White I think in your speech yesterday Oliver you talk about how you
36:06know you think a lot of people in the area want to see the airport reopened
36:10Thomas is asking have the negative impacts of reopening an airport he lists
36:16noise pollution potential impacts on property prices and biodiversity he says have
36:22they been made clear to the public as well as positive things like
36:26yeah I mean look that's not just on me is it clear you know clearly there are
36:30people in this space who want to kind of flag up the positives there are people
36:33who want to flag up the negatives I was down in Gatwick actually and last week
36:36talking to them because Gatwick and like we for lesson Gatwick reopened their
36:40south term Gatwick's a much bigger airport as people understand right but they
36:44reopened it after Covid and we were talking about the challenges of that so we
36:47could better understand what they went through but one of the interesting
36:50things we were talking about with Gatwick was actually people around Gatwick love
36:54Gatwick you know there's a huge amount of enthusiasm and supports the further away
36:58you get from Gatwick the more people then are kind of frustrated with noise or
37:01anything else but people around Gatwick see it for what it is which is a
37:03massive economic driver and I think that's similar to DSA I think people
37:07that are around the airport and this won't be universal so feel free to sort of
37:10shout something online if that's you and you know you're in the flight path and
37:13you're not happy but look I think mostly people around DSA see the benefit the
37:17value of reopening the airport what it means for jobs and growth and
37:20opportunity for certainly Doncaster but the wider South Yorkshire area I think
37:24the further away you get from the airport the more people are kind of
37:26worried about about that that seems to be the case and that's and that's fair we
37:30are of course I am of course not immune to the arguments about about the
37:35environmental impact or what else it might be doing in terms of noise of
37:39course I'm not you know I'm aware of that and that's what I mean about this
37:42balance that I'm trying to tread I think it is right for us to try and reopen the
37:46airport I think that is the right thing it's got to be as part of a wider plan on
37:49sustainability and sustainable aviation so we can be part of the solution not
37:52just part of the problem and but that is the complexity I think look politicians
37:57are to blame for this often we just come out politician definitely say look this
37:59is the right thing everyone else is wrong I'm right no one else has got the
38:03answer I've got the answer I'm not saying that here I'm saying there are
38:05people on both sides of this argument you've got valid points I've taken a
38:09view and my view is I want to try and reopen DSA but that's not to say other
38:13people don't have a valid view a valid position and these are smart sensible
38:16people and I respect them I just disagree and I think we can do things to
38:20mitigate the challenges accentuate the benefits and hopefully create a better
38:24South Yorkshire for everybody none of that is inevitable though and that's why
38:27we're taking our time to get make sure we get this right brilliant thank you
38:31thank you very much for that question hope that helped answer answer your
38:36question Thomas got a couple of questions from Anthony Barber and Kevin
38:42Gregory which I'm going to group together because they were quite similar a
38:46slightly different subject they're asking what assurances can you give that
38:52the people of South Yorkshire won't be priced out of their own Airport they said
38:56before when it was open it was often cheaper for them to go to Manchester or East
39:00Midlands Airport than flying from DSA so it's only thing you can you can say or
39:06reassure around that given that you know we don't think passenger flights are
39:10going to happen before 2028 I'm probably not going to get into a pricing strategy at
39:14this moment really forgive me I would love to be able to say you know flights
39:16will be cheaper than anywhere else it has to be competitive doesn't it and we know
39:19that and and I think that's right it's fair question and it has to be
39:22competitive it has to be a place that people can afford to fly from it can't
39:26be kind of silly money to fly from Doncaster and really cheap to fly from
39:28Liverpool because we know what will happen so we have to get that pricing
39:31strategy right that's down to the airlines as much as it is to anybody else and
39:35you know we'll cross that bridge and but we are keen obviously for
39:39everyone in South Yorkshire to use DSA that's got to be also about things like
39:42parking fees you know go out of Manchester these days and just dropping
39:46people off it costs you an arm and a leg so it's got to be about but the wider
39:50environment not just is it cheaper to fly it is it cheaper to get there is it
39:54cheaper to park you know has it got the facilities people want is it a nicer
39:57environment nicer experience has it got the right destinations these are all
40:00questions we're gonna have to answer we're not quite there yet I'd love to be
40:03but we're not quite a couple of questions that follow on quite nicely from what
40:07you're saying about you know the wider infrastructure around the airport
40:10Jonathan Hague and Steve White have asked if this all goes ahead will there
40:17be new transport links for the airport and South Yorkshire Airport City more
40:22widely they mention tram train expansion bus services trains those kind of things I
40:29just wonder what you can say about the potential for transport so we try to get
40:34it's going with the last government so before the airport closed I think one of
40:37the reasons why it didn't maintain its viability under the last owners was
40:40because the last government didn't commit to that 300 million pound East Coast
40:44Main Line link that the last mayor Dan Jarvis asked for from from the Tories
40:47they didn't put that in place and East Coast Main Line link again we were turned down
40:52for that by the last government and I think that was the wrong decision on both
40:55fronts and that would have really helped the airports that succeed and also
40:59lowered the carbon impacts and a bunch of other things besides so really
41:03disappointed that they didn't commit to it we're now kind of in a place where
41:06actually we are looking at all of that transport connectivity so certainly when
41:09the bus has come back under public control from 2027 what can we do to get
41:13better bus services into DSA to make it easier for people to travel from there
41:16what can we do around things like tram train what can we do around things like
41:20East Coast Main Line or Lincoln Line I'm open to all those offers frankly and I
41:25want to look at those those opportunities there is a challenge there of
41:29course because like a lot of airports make money out of basically car parking
41:32nowadays that's one of the ways they are more viable so it used to be the
41:36airlines would pay you to fly out of the airport so they would pay you a huge
41:40amount of money to run operations and run flights but now increasingly certainly
41:44with low-cost carriers they don't pay you very much if it's all to land at your
41:48airport and the way the airports make money is through the car park so actually
41:51we've got to try and balance some of those considerations to make the airport
41:54viable but also to make sure that people have a good experience and we've got
41:57that low carbon option of traveling by public transport into the airport as well we're
42:01doing all of that work at the moment and looking at what those opportunities might
42:04be and I haven't got any answers for anyone yet but I'm certainly keen to
42:08explore those opportunities if we are able to take a funding decision going forward
42:11brilliant thank thank thanks for for that answer there Oliver so yeah just
42:16again to remind anyone who is just joining us you've missed a lot of good
42:20stuff this is the Yorkshire Post Q&A with South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard he's
42:25kindly given us an hour his time to answer as many questions as he can about
42:30Doncaster Sheffield Airport I think we're probably going to set a record on that front
42:33obviously keep sending them in and we'll try and get to as many as as we can and thank you so much
42:41for your engagement in this we've got a question from Peter Jones who said he's
42:47not the Peter Jones Dragon's Den Peter Jones I don't know why does he want to buy an airport
42:52it's quite a it's maybe a Dragon's Den style question potentially he's very supportive of
42:58the airport reopening but he's asking why is it the Doncaster gain share is going towards funding
43:06the airport when the wider South Yorkshire area is paying for the tram
43:14which mainly helps Sheffield so I answered this question yesterday so again you know
43:19people if they want to kind of watch some of the stuff we did yesterday they can do
43:23look it is the MCA's money it's the combined authorities South Yorkshire's money
43:27that's going into potentially into the airport right the gain share that is given by
43:30government people that don't understand the term gain share is essentially 30 million pounds that we get from
43:35government every year to fund the things we want to do in South Yorkshire as a mayoral combined authority
43:41and that's the sort of devolution dividend that we got for signing the deal having a mayor and moving forward
43:45that 30 million pounds then goes to pay for the things that we want to do as a region
43:50and of course those things happen in places now the reason why all of the local authority leaders
43:55and I are then engaged in a conversation about whether or not we can fund the airport
43:59is because it's South Yorkshire's money it's in Doncaster but it's South Yorkshire's money
44:03and that's the money we're hoping to use to go forward the transport money that we have in
44:08South Yorkshire which is contributed by the local authorities as well by government goes to fund
44:13not just a tram system but all the buses and in places like Sheffield the tram often replaces the
44:18bus so you have a tram network where there aren't buses because you don't run buses that compete with
44:23the tram because that wouldn't make sense we use the money therefore that goes into that system
44:28potentially then to fund buses in Barnsley where there isn't a tram to Doncaster where there isn't
44:33a tram but that doesn't mean that the tram system doesn't benefit everywhere in South Yorkshire
44:37because a it means that we can use some of the money that would otherwise have to go on buses
44:41to fund the tram but that means we can use the rest of the money to fund the buses
44:45but it also means that we have people who can get where they need to be when they need to be there
44:50as a result we have a bigger economy a better economy for everyone in South Yorkshire and everyone benefits
44:54now I want the tram network to go right across South Yorkshire so I want it to go to Doncaster
44:59I want it to go more into Rotherham I'd like it to go into Barnsley all those places I think should
45:04have the tram network because it takes capacity off the train system and off the buses it's lower carbon
45:10it's more reliable it's greener like I think it's a better solution that's why I'm supportive of the
45:15tram the tram is good for South Yorkshire and I would like the tram to be in Doncaster in particular
45:19over time that's where I would like to get to and that's where you know why we're funding it why
45:24we've got it it would cost 400 million quid to take the tram out not to mention the economic
45:28disbenefit of no longer having a mass transit system and lastly I would just say in other parts
45:34of this country London in particular they don't have to choose they've got an underground they've
45:38got a tram they've got a cable car they've got three airports that I can name off the top of my head
45:42and they've got a boat system they've got everything why do we have to choose up north why is it a tram or a
45:48bus why is it an airport or a tram why is it any of those things I am fighting for South Yorkshire
45:53should have all of that and I refuse to apologize for that I think South Yorkshire should have the
45:57best of all worlds and we shouldn't put up with the fact that other cities have it they've just
46:01announced in Manchester plans for an underground system why can't we have the best of all of it
46:07and that's what I want for South Yorkshire brilliant thank you for that answer Oliver
46:12we've got a lot of questions coming in on the Facebook live comments so we're going to get
46:18through as many of those as we can in the next 13 minutes we'll try and try and rattle through
46:25these as quickly as we can and hopefully you guys watching will get we'll get some good answers to
46:30your questions I think we've covered this a bit so maybe just a quick answer because I think we have
46:37already discussed this but this is from Andy Tunstall so if you missed some of this earlier do go back
46:42and watch Andy but Andy asks to combat aviation emissions do you see importance in renewable
46:47energy production around the site and surrounding industrial areas yeah absolutely look but not
46:53just that though I think we've got to have a sustainable aviation base at DSA so as I say not just part of
46:58the problem part of the solution and we've already got a load of work going on in South Yorkshire around
47:03sustainable aviation University of Sheffield is the only sustainable aviation fuel certifier in the
47:08country really important they their technology powered the first net zero transatlantic flight
47:13and we've got Boeing in the region because of the University of Sheffield they've got a research
47:18project the compass facility developing new lightweighting technology so it's not just about
47:22sustainable or synthetic aviation fuels it's about how do you make the planes lighter but how do you
47:27fly more sustainably more broadly we've got hybrid air vehicles that we want to try and bring into the
47:31region as well you know so all these sorts of things could be find a real home in South Yorkshire
47:36going forward and help us as I say not just be part of the problem when it comes to aviation but
47:39part of the solution because I don't know about you anyone watching this certainly me I'm going to
47:44be flying in 20 years time right I've got family that live abroad certainly when we think about the
47:49opportunities for South Yorkshire some of those I've been in China I've been in America I've been
47:54in Amsterdam you name it right and and I've been in different parts of the world that we're all going
47:57to need to fly at some point if we're going to maintain that connectivity as a globe but if we're going to fly in
48:0320 years time with the climate crisis as it is we need to fly more sustainably and I want South Yorkshire
48:07to get a big piece of that market if we've got that airport in South Yorkshire then we can have
48:11that sustainable aviation system in South Yorkshire that market that sector grow jobs and opportunity
48:16and that's got to be better for the whole of the region that relies on the airport relies on us being
48:21able to get over the line I don't know if we can do it but we're absolutely trying everything we can to
48:25make sure that that's the case brilliant well I hope that answered your question Andy we have got a
48:30question from Dave Tunstall maybe a relation of Andy I'm not sure I'm afraid but Dave has asked
48:39can you see the public skepticism that the airport will never open for passenger flights after there
48:47was the starting point of 2026 which has been pushed back obviously just to clarify the mayor of
48:56Doncaster Ross Jones said she hoped to get flights off by 2026 and yesterday Oliver in your speech
49:03you said you thought commercial flights might not start until 2028 yeah I mean I just want to offer
49:08clarity and I think that's what people see is you know I'm trying to be as open as I can as transparent
49:12as I can about what we're doing how we're doing it and part of that is just being clear about what
49:17that timeline looks like so you know I got this question a fair bit obviously before about spring 26 I
49:21just wanted to be clear that 28 was was the most and most obvious date for for passenger commercial
49:28airlines to fly out of Doncaster so I don't think that's a change I just think it's a clarification
49:32and I hope that's what people people understand and okay I get people are frustrated skeptical all
49:38the rest of it and and I would love to be able to sit on here and speak to you speak to Facebook and
49:42go out there and give you a front page and say look regardless you know damn it we're just going to do
49:46whatever we need to to get this over the line but it's like me promising as any politician can do
49:52to do anything that is popular and then hopefully get people to forget it once you actually kind of
49:57realize that it was a mistake but I'm not prepared to put us in that position as a region I'm not
50:02prepared to say I don't care what the costs I don't care what the um the challenges we're doing it
50:09regardless because in five years 10 years 15 years time all we might have done is spend 150 million
50:15pounds plus of public money and still be back in this position where we don't have that thriving
50:19airport that people want to see and I'm not prepared to put us in that place and I hope that's
50:23the difference between me as a politician having that mayoral combined authority having a mayor in
50:28South Yorkshire somebody who looks people in the eye sits here with people like you sits here and says
50:33this is actually the truth of the matter and look this is my home and my community I'm determined to
50:38do the right thing for us as a region and I'm going to do that listening and talking and being
50:41transparent but ultimately we've got to do the right thing for the whole region for the long
50:45term not just for a short term political game because that's not what I'm about and that's
50:49not what this system should be about brilliant thanks thanks for that answer I hope that answered
50:53your question Dave so lots more comments coming in on the Facebook live um Leslie Hudson has asked I
51:02think this is in relation to something that the Doncaster Mayor Roz Jones said about how there are some
51:07companies which are operating around the airport at the moment um she says if there are companies
51:13operating out of it now what happens if the funding to reopen the airport doesn't go ahead
51:20um so yeah we might just need to I guess clarify about how those those companies are operating at the moment
51:26yes there's like 2XL for instance which I know you know this where the Prime Minister was who are operating
51:31out of DSA they'd like to build a bigger presence and by the way in Doncaster they their plan has always been to keep their
51:37operations in in one place and at the moment they've got people in Humberside they've got some people down south and they want to kind of reinvest
51:43in South Yorkshire which is one of the things obviously that we're looking at at the moment
51:47look I don't want to get into what ifs about what what if we don't because I think it's unhelpful in terms of business confidence in terms of people
51:53we'll cross that bridge yeah we'll cross that bridge if we come to it and I'm happy as I say to come back and do this again
51:57yeah but I think it can be and hopefully will be a magnet for investment and that's what we're weighing up at the moment
52:03can we bring in more companies more investment can we make it thrive and and can we make the numbers stack up have we got enough money
52:10to make the numbers stack up and can we make it work within the confines of the lease and everything else
52:15and that's the question that we're answering at the moment if we aren't able to do that I'm happy to come
52:18back on and talk to people about what next but for now let's try and be positive and look to the future
52:23brilliant so yeah thank you for that answer Oliver so yeah we've only got a few more minutes in our Q&A
52:28on Doncaster-Cheffield Airport with South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and thank you for sticking with us
52:34so I hope it's been worthwhile I'm sure it has been so many questions answered still a few more to go
52:41um uh so yeah three more currently on the on the Facebook comments so we should have time for those
52:47Paul Foster asks about Munich Airport International being the operator um he basically says you know
52:56are you concerned that if commercial flights don't don't take off um uh until 2028
53:03are they gonna keep operating the airport some of this might be commercially sensitive but um yeah
53:09any yeah I mean I probably sorry I can't probably get into a huge amount of commercial detail but
53:15all I would say is I think we've got a really good partner in Munich yeah there are other people in
53:18the system that I think we probably want to bring in to help us with some of the questions that we
53:21have and the challenges that we face and make that uh make that work you know frankly the more expertise
53:27the better from my perspective you know so Munich are great and we're talking to all sorts of people
53:32like I say I was down at Gatwick just the other day trying to pick their brains about how they did
53:35what they did they were really generous with their time you know world-class airport there and we
53:38were learning from them so um Munich brilliant got no worries there you know I think they're a great
53:43partner and uh long may we continue working with them brilliant thanks thanks thanks for that Oliver
53:49um a question from Lynn Needham um she is asking about the due diligence this that you've been doing
53:56um and uh she's he's basically said why wasn't this done earlier in the process for you and so
54:05good question so basically we did do a lot of work in the intervening period as you'd expect but
54:10when the model changed the financial model so when we decided actually those deals weren't right for
54:14South Yorkshire the private sector investment wasn't right it wasn't the right model for us we didn't
54:17get a good enough deal for you for me for taxpayers we actually moved to a different model which required
54:23us to do a huge amount more work and so that's what we put in now we've done that at pace record
54:27pace frankly you know so as I say you know we'll have a thousand pages of investment grade due diligence
54:33we'll share the vast majority of that when we can because I think it's important to see the
54:36amount of work that's gone in some of the challenges we face um but we were doing that work
54:41on the basis that actually it's a different model and it's a different system that we wanted to
54:45put in place it required us to do different things to sign off that um that investment and that's
54:50where we are right now yeah brilliant thanks for that oliver so we've got one final question um thank
54:55you very much for your time today you've answered an incredible amount of questions we really appreciate
55:00it final question comes from chelsea pandora which i think we touched on a little bit earlier so if you
55:07missed any of this do go back and watch it the whole of the broadcast will be available on our facebook
55:12channel um chelsea asks do you feel we'll receive enough vendors of flights to compete with
55:19leeds bradford and manchester given the transport links from south yorkshire to those places
55:27well i want to improve transport connectivity to manchester airport to manchester to leeds
55:32it's one of the things we're arguing with the government about at the moment i want that
55:34investment of course i do you know it's only right that kind of we as south yorkshire are better
55:39connected to the whole of the country it's one of the ways you grow an economy and i'm determined to
55:43do that but equally i know that we can offer a good opportunity good service at dsa that we can get in
55:48those flights and and get people flying out of dsa on their holidays and everything else but it can't
55:53as i say be about just passenger flights it's got to be about freight it's got to be about private
55:58it's got to be about the wider gateway site and sustainable aviation advanced manufacturing that's
56:02what we're trying to do that's why this is complicated and it's hard and it is a competitive
56:06space and leeds is great airport manchester airport's great airport i would say we offer something different
56:11at dsa or potentially offer something different at dsa you know vote with the best airport in the
56:16country i think four times in a row whatever it was you know really exciting place and to fly from
56:21brilliant place to fly from you know when i went on my holidays but look you know we've got to kind of
56:26prove our worth in the market and the market is pretty remorseless and so you know if we are able to
56:31reopen the airport that's one of the challenges that we face and that's why we are taking our time to
56:34get the right decision be easy for me as i say to just take a quick decision i'm not just i am
56:39determined not to just do the quick thing the politically expedient thing i'm determined to
56:43get this right for south yorkshire and that's hopefully what people have heard over the course
56:46of the last hour can see from me on a daily basis um but um hopefully we'll understand as we move
56:51forward through this process brilliant thank you so much for your time thanks everybody uh yeah thanks
56:56everyone for tuning in just a reminder if you missed any of it it'll all be put on our facebook page
57:01and uh also broadcast on the website and i'm sure you'll be able to read plenty about this uh on the
57:07york post uh in the run-up to when we expect the decision to be on september the night so thank you
57:13very much thanks everyone thank you
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