UK airport closes for good as last flight takes off – leaving crew ‘in tears’

THE last flight has taken off at Doncaster Sheffield, which is closing down for good.

The UK airport confirmed last month that they would be "winding down" from October 31.

The last flight took off on Saturday, arriving in Katowice in Poland at 10:55pm, although a number of TUI flights will still land at the airport until November 4.

Peel Group, which owns the airport, said that it was no longer viable to operate due to a "lack of adequate forward revenues and high operating costs".

However, passengers have slammed the decision, with one saying it was a "waste of a good runway".

The holidaymaker, who was returning to the UK via the airport, told the : "A lot of people use it.

"The crew on our flight were on their penultimate flight and they were in tears."

Hundreds of people marched to keep the airport open last week, following a petition campaigning to keep it open having more than 100,000 signatures.

Chairman of Peel Airports Group Robert Hough said: "We recognise that this will come as a great disappointment to many.

"The intractable problem remains the fundamental and insufficient lack of current or prospective revenue streams, together with the airport’s high operating costs."

The closure will affect thousands of flights a year.

Aviation analytics firm  said it was the 26th biggest airport in the UK, recording 4,609 flights in 2019.

It was also voted the best UK airport, according to Which?.

Despite having flights to popular destinations such as Tenerife and Lanzarote, the airport was hit hard when airline Wizz Air pulled out, leaving just TUI flights in operation.

TUI has been forced to issue a statement, confirming that customers with flights would be contacted.

The airport was also badly affected by the pandemic - back in 2020, experts warned that smaller airports could be forced to close for good.

Airlines are also suspending flights this winter due to ongoing problems.

Wizz Air confirmed that nearly all flights from Cardiff Airport will be affected for the next six months, citing "economic pressures".

UK airline Loganair - the largest regional airline in the country - confirmed that 300 flights are being scrapped between November 2022 and March 2023.

And British Airways confirmed 10,000 flights would be cancelled until March 2023.