Summer 2022 set to be busiest ever for Doncaster Sheffield Airport

It may not be one of the UK’s better known airports, but Doncaster Sheffield (DSA) has some big ambitions, and its efforts to boost its route network have been boosted by TUI’s decision to expand its operations from the gateway next summer.

The package holiday giant has announced that it will launch services to Faro (Portugal) and Hurghada (Egypt) from DSA next summer, helping ensure that the gateway will offer more seats next summer than ever before.

Surprising to some, perhaps, DSA – formerly known as Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport – is one of the fastest growing airports in the UK based on its performance over the past five years.

For the Yorkshire gateway has consistently grown over the past five years at a rate of 13%, treble that of other UK airports, arguably demonstrating its determination to buck the trend and rise to the current challenges affecting the aviation sector.

This expansion announcement from TUI means that ‘Summer 22 is set to be the biggest on record at DSA with passenger numbers set to grow to more than 1.7 million, potentially exceeding traffic levels of 2019 by more than 30%.

In addition to the Faro and Hurghada flights, TUI’s S22 schedule will include an extra 200,000 seats to a host of popular holiday hotspots such as Palma and Malaga (Spain), Corfu, Crete and Kos (Greece).  The summer schedule also heralds the return of long-haul from DSA to Cancun (Mexico) and Orlando Sandford (Florida).

Indeed, with 30 popular destinations available from DSA, both TUI and DSA are setting their sights on a bumper summer season for 2022 in anticipation of pent-up demand from holidaymakers desperate for a sunshine break, following a volatile 18-months for the aviation industry.

DSA’s director of aviation development and corporate affairs, Kate Stow, says: “We’re immensely proud of our long-standing relationship with TUI and its continued commitment to regional airports and this relationship has been fundamental to our growth story at DSA.

“We’re already seeing strong demand from customers who haven’t had the chance for a summer getaway for over a year. This impressive S22 schedule provides customers even more choice for a holiday in the sun with friends and family.

“As well as two new destinations, TUI have increased flights to 12 existing holiday destinations to cope with the appetite for foreign travel that we know is there and will kick-start as soon as international travel is well and truly opened up again.

“We’re looking ahead to a record-breaking year and would advise customers to think about booking for Summer 2022 now.”