- Doncaster Sheffield airport partners with EcoVadis for independent sustainability assessments.
- These will include assessments across the airport’s physical footprint and supply chain, covering environmental impact, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
- The airport, which has been closed since 2022 is currently undergoing a reopening process that hopes to generate GB£5 billion for its regional economy by 2050, and is expected to fully open its site by April 2028
Independent assessments will cover the airport’s supply chain, onsite operations, environmental performance, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement
Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) is to introduce independent sustainability assessments across its supply chain and onsite operations as work continues to prepare the South Yorkshire airport for reopening.
The airport’s leadership team has partnered with EcoVadis, a global sustainability assessment provider, to evaluate environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance across its operations and supply chain.
The assessments will cover areas including environmental impact, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. Aviation service providers operating at the airport, including ground handling and security companies, will also be assessed as part of the programme.
Sustainability built into reopening plans
The move comes as FlyDoncaster, the airport operator established by the City of Doncaster Council, continues preparations to restore commercial aviation operations at the site.
Steve Allcoat, Head of Assets, Capital & Engineering at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said the EcoVadis assessments would provide a framework for applying sustainability standards to both the airport’s supply chain and onsite services.
“We’re committed to upholding the highest of environmental, social and governance standards across the airport,” Allcoat said, adding that working with EcoVadis would form part of the airport’s approach to operating sustainably and responsibly.
EcoVadis co-founder and co-CEO Pierre-François Thaler said the programme would introduce independent and audit-ready sustainability measures into the airport’s supply chain and operations.
EcoVadis ratings assess companies’ sustainability management systems across areas including environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. The organisation describes its ratings as an independent framework for assessing and monitoring sustainability performance across supply chains.
Airport reopening gathers pace
The sustainability initiative is being introduced alongside a series of operational and regulatory projects required to bring DSA back into commercial service.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed to commercial operations in November 2022. The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority subsequently approved funding of up to £160 million in September 2025 to support its reopening. At the time, regional authorities said significant passenger operations were unlikely to begin until summer 2028, while limited passenger activity and cargo operations could potentially begin earlier.
The airport’s current official information now states that freight and cargo flights are expected to increase from 2027, with passenger flights scheduled to commence in winter 2027/28.
Regulatory preparations are also continuing. An Airspace Change Proposal consultation launched in August 2026 seeks views on reinstating controlled airspace and introducing the arrival and departure routes required for passenger and cargo operations. By early September, the consultation had received more than 1,000 responses.
Cargo central to future operations
Cargo is expected to form part of the airport’s future operating model, with DSA highlighting its runway, existing infrastructure and location within the UK road network as potential advantages for freight operators.
The airport says its 2,895-metre runway is capable of handling large commercial aircraft and that its future operating model is intended to provide 24-hour capacity for cargo and general civil aviation, subject to regulatory approval.
The airport is also being developed as part of a wider regeneration programme intended to combine aviation, logistics, manufacturing and advanced engineering activity at the Gateway East site.
£5 billion economic forecast
The reopening project has been promoted as a potential catalyst for regional economic growth. Local authority assessments have forecast a £5 billion cumulative GVA uplift by 2050, alongside more than 5,000 direct jobs, if the wider South Yorkshire Airport City project is delivered.
The figure is a forecast rather than a guaranteed economic return and is linked to the broader regeneration and airport development programme.
The sustainability assessment programme therefore comes as DSA seeks to establish the environmental and social standards that will underpin its future operations, while simultaneously completing the infrastructure, regulatory and commercial work required for reopening.
