A small airport which catered for up to 75,000 passengers in one single year was forced to close after funnelling £1m losses – and despite ambitious reopening plans, it never operated again
A tiny UK airport that has been left to rot for almost two decades has finally been given a new lease of life.
Back in its heyday, Sheffield City Airport handled a whopping 75,000 passengers in one single year – whizzing Brits over to the likes of Belfast, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, and London. However, just years after its grand opening in 1997, the hub’s popularity plummeted.
According to The Sheffield Star, passenger numbers fell to 60,000 in 2000 and to just 13,000 by 2002. Struggling to keep up with the boom in low-cost travel, and unable to expand its short runway needed to accommodate larger planes used by budget airlines – it eventually closed its doors in 2008.
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That year, it reported losses of more than £1 million, and is believed to have been sold off for just £1. Attempts to revive the hub were short-lived, despite petitions for its reopening garnering thousands of signatures.
In 2012, a mystery bidder is believed to have contacted the Federation of Small Businesses with bold plans to re-start the airport – despite proposals already in the works to convert it into a business park. Local media says the anonymous would-be buyer was ‘no stranger to the aviation industry’ and believed operations for scheduled flights to the UK and European cities could viably return.
However, such promises never transpired, and now the site – which is owned by the University of Sheffield – has become part of the 100-acre Runway Park development. Featuring the UK’s ‘first reconfigurable digital factory’, a materials lab, and large-scale testing facilities, Runway Park consists of distinct zones for innovation, manufacturing, and leisure – while a central hub links the community together.
The development, which also features cafes, gyms, nurseries, and leisure spaces, was recently launched to industry and is designed to ‘attract investment, create high-quality jobs and accelerate economic growth’. Professor Koen Lamberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “The evolution of the University’s innovation district with the launch of Runway Park marks a significant milestone in our mission to help the region reach its full potential, while making an even stronger contribution to economic growth.
“We have seen the impact of innovation-led growth, with the University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) transforming the Sheffield/Rotherham border into a global hub for advanced manufacturing over the last 20 years. As part of the UK’s first government-backed Investment Zone in South Yorkshire, our vision for Runway Park will build on this considerable momentum.”
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