A proposal to create an overview and safety committee for unidentified aerial phenomena at Doncaster Sheffield Airport drew a sharp response at a City of Doncaster Council meeting on Monday, with one councillor saying the airport operator, not the council, is responsible for keeping people safe on site.
Kieran Lay told the meeting the committee could help coordinate with authorities across Yorkshire on aerospace monitoring and, in his words, help restore some public confidence in the airport. He later said the comments were meant to spice things up and lighten the mood, but also to bring more attention to safety concerns around drones and other items near the site.
The exchange landed at a sensitive moment for the airport. Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed in 2022, and the council is now leading a project to reopen it to passenger and cargo flights. Lay said many residents in his Thorne and Moorends ward had genuine security concerns about the airport, and he argued that a local UAP committee could give those worries a formal place in the discussion rather than leaving them to drift in social media chatter.
Simon Hinchley pushed back, saying the operator was responsible for keeping people safe in the airport environment rather than the council. He said drone detection equipment was used around aerodromes and that drones were already banned from coming within 5km of active airports without permission. Breaches of those restrictions, he said, are taken seriously and can result in significant fines and custodial sentences.
Lay later told Radio Sheffield that there was also a serious point behind it. He said NASA has recommended that local authorities take a proactive evidence-based approach to UAP focused on aviation safety, and he asked why Doncaster should not lead the way in Yorkshire and the Humber on the issue. He also apologised for suggesting that all the data on local UAP activity needed to be examined before any further money was committed to the airport.
The row shows how the reopening debate is being shaped by more than runways and terminals. For the council, the challenge is not only making the case for flights to return, but convincing people that the airport can reopen safely in a climate where drones, monitoring and public confidence are now part of the argument.
