News: Businesses pledge to take off from Robin Hood Airport

More than 70 business and tourism leaders from across the region gathered together this week to sign a pledge to support Robin Hood Airport.

The pledge will see businesses that frequently travel as part of their everyday operations look into their current requirements to see if there are opportunities for them to "Fly Local."

This spring, Doncaster Sheffield Airport launched a number of new city routes which will be attractive to business users, with easyJet to Amsterdam, Barcelona and Prague and with Aer Lingus to Dublin, in addition to existing city services from Flybe to Belfast City and Wizz Air to Poland.

At the event Nick Smillie, Aviation Sales Director said: "Support from the local business community will be essential in ensuring that these new services are a success. Successful routes will enable the airport to make the case for additional business-friendly services.

"A key component of the "Fly Local" campaign is the Business Travel Pledge, through which local companies will pledge their support for the airport's services, in return for a range of incentives, and the promise of additional services in future.

"We are delighted to be able to celebrate the airports fifth birthday by launching this pledge and signing up the first five companies, Sheffield United, Doncaster Rovers, Pegler Yorkshire, Polypipe and Sheffield Forgemasters.

"We will be working closely with businesses to find out their needs and the routes they currently use in a bid to prove demand. This information is invaluable when speaking to the airlines about new services."

Ali Gayward, UK Commercial Manager for easyJet, added: "We are very excited to be working with Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Our first flights took off last week to five destinations. We are serving Amsterdam, Prague, Barcelona, Faro and Majorca.

"In the past easyJet have been thought of as a holidaymakers airline but these routes show that we can meet business needs. We have just appointed a corporate sales manager which is quite revolutionary for a budget airline.

"We work very closely with Peel Airports and have seen Liverpool grow to a base of nine aircraft serving 21 destinations. We hope that the five routes we are offering from Doncaster Sheffield Airport is just the start of what we can do."

easyJet will operate some 21 departures per week from the airport and expects to carry around 300,000 passengers to the new destinations in their first year of operation.

Robin Hood Airport website

Images: robinhoodairport.com