From RAF Finningley to Robin Hood Airport and Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

So, what do you call the airport these days? The answer may reveal more than you think: where you’re from and what generation you’re a part of.

The runway hasn’t moved, but the airport’s name has travelled a fair distance. From RAF Finningley to Robin Hood Airport and now Doncaster Sheffield Airport, the site has collected a few identities along the way.

Its changing names reflect more than a century of local aviation history, from its beginnings as a military airfield to its transformation into a commercial airport and the new chapter now taking shape.

Where it all took off: RAF Finningley

The site’s aviation story began with the opening of Finningley Airfield in 1915. It served as a Royal Air Force station for much of the 20th century, becoming a familiar local landmark through its military operations and popular air displays.

If RAF Finningley is still the first name that comes to mind, there’s a good chance you’re a Baby Boomer or Gen Xer who remembers the site (or stories about it) from its military years.

RAF Finningley was decommissioned in 1995, but its established aviation infrastructure including its unusually long, wide and strong runway, meant the site’s connection with flight was far from over.

The arrival of Robin Hood Airport

Ten years after RAF Finningley was decommissioned, the site began a new chapter. On 28 April 2005, it reopened for commercial passenger travel as Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, although most people simply called it Robin Hood Airport.

For many millennials, that is the name that stuck and, much like continuing to call X “Twitter”, changing the official name hasn’t necessarily changed what they call it.

The name connected the airport with one of the region’s most recognisable legends. Historical accounts have associated Robin Hood with Barnsdale, northwest of Doncaster, although the choice prompted plenty of discussion about both the connection and whether the name clearly conveyed the airport’s location.

Whatever the initial reaction, Robin Hood Airport became firmly embedded in local vocabulary. For more than a decade, it was where holidays and journeys began for passengers across the region and the name has endured. It still appears on some road and motorway signs, while many people continue to use it when searching for the airport now officially known as Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport checks in

In December 2016, Robin Hood Airport was rebranded as Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The runway, terminal and Finningley location remained the same, but the new identity placed greater emphasis on the airport’s geographical location and the wider region it served.

For younger members of Gen Z and Generation Alpha, Doncaster Sheffield Airport (or simply DSA) is likely to be the only name they have known. By the time passenger flights return, a new generation of travellers will be making their first memories of the airport under its current name.

Passenger services continued under the Doncaster Sheffield Airport name until November 2022, when the airport closed under its previous ownership. Today, work is underway to bring it back into full use and secure its long-term future.

What Does Your Answer Say About You?

This is hardly a scientific test. Whether you say Finningley, Robin Hood Airport or Doncaster Sheffield Airport probably depends on when you first encountered the site and which chapter of its history feels most familiar.

Of course, local habits rarely follow neat generational rules. Doncaster Airport and Doncaster Finningley Airport are also used informally, reflecting the city, village and communities surrounding the site.

Whatever name you use, its official name today is Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Next Destination: Reopening

The return of Doncaster Sheffield Airport is no longer just an ambition. General aviation flights are already using the runway, freight and cargo activity is expected to increase from 2027, and passenger flights are currently expected to begin at Easter 2028.

For local people, that means the familiar sights and sounds of a working airport will return to Finningley. Aircraft will take to the skies, passengers will pass through the terminal and destinations will once again be within reach from their local airport.

Behind the scenes, Fly Doncaster Ltd is working to make that return happen. Reopening the airport will create jobs, develop local skills, attract investment and open new connections for people and businesses across the region.

RAF Finningley. Robin Hood Airport. Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Each name has marked a different era, but the most exciting one may be the era about to begin. The runway is ready, preparations are gathering pace and Doncaster Sheffield Airport is getting closer to welcoming passengers back.