13-04-2004
Robin Hood Legend takes to the skies

The legend of Robin Hood was reborn spectacularly today when Peel Airports Limited named a new airport for the UK after one of Britain’s best-known heroes.

The team that selected the airport name ‘Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield’ pressed the rest of Britain to make greater use of world-famous characters from its rich history to promote the country to international travellers and businesses.

The Robin Hood icon has been attached to the £80million development that will transform the former Finningley RAF base into a brand new “personality” airport intended to cater for 2.3 million passengers and 50,000 tonnes of freight each year.

Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield already has a runway capable of supporting long-haul aircraft. The airport will serve a huge catchment area, mainly comprising South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and North Lincolnshire, with up to six million potential travellers. With the potential to attract passengers from well beyond Europe, the airport will open the region to inbound tourists and business travellers from across the world, boosting the region’s economy and opening the door to new and much-needed inward investment.

The first flights are expected to take off from Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield in Spring 2005. The 900-acre airport and business zone site is owned by Peel Airports Limited, the company that broke new ground in 2002 by renaming Liverpool Airport “Liverpool John Lennon Airport”, a decision which helped create one of Europe’s fastest-growing airports, carrying more than three million passengers a year. Peel also operates Teesside International Airport.

In the run up to the official opening, Peel is launching a campaign to promote the newly branded airport and its local regions to the global travel industry.

Britain has been slow to follow the rest of the world in naming its airports after national heroes and leaders: Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Charles de Gaulle, John F Kennedy, Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Pope John Paul II and even the Spanish fictional character, Don Quixote, have all lent their names to major airports.

Robin Hood, who is known to have spent much of his life around the Doncaster area, shot ahead of other famous people with local links when Peel Airports asked for the opinion of prospective airport customers. Charles Darwin, the naturalist, Douglas Bader, the World War II pilot, pioneering aviator Amy Johnson and opera singer Lesley Garrett were among the leading contenders, which also included the Pilgrim Fathers who have strong local connections. However, Robin Hood was by far the most familiar to international audiences.

Peel Airports Chairman Robert Hough said: “Robin Hood is a well-known and well-loved character the world over, and one who is undeniably associated with this part of the country. Peel wants the airport to be known for first class security, safety and efficiency, but we also want to inject an element of fun and enjoyment into the travellers’ experience. The Robin Hood brand will enable us to inform people about what the area has to offer, as well as providing a ‘personality’ for the airport.”

The airport’s Managing Director Designate David Ryall said: “In finding a name that was without boundary we also wanted to retain the link with the site’s history. The former RAF station straddled the county boundary of Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire and we have found a name that does likewise. There is another aspect of the RAF station’s history that does lend itself well to the next chapter in the aerodrome’s link with aviation. We will adopt the RAF station’s motto which translates as ‘to the furthest reaches of the skies’ – quite appropriate for the region’s gateway to the world.”

Peel Airports Commercial Director Neil Pakey said: “We have a rich history and heritage with great British heroes and leaders known to people across the world, such as Robin Hood and the Pilgrim Fathers. We should make more of these famous names be they centuries old or more contemporary 20th Century figures. We broke the mould with Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which has proved to be a great success, provided the City of Liverpool and surrounding area with tangible benefits and without doubt contributed to Liverpool being selected as the European Cultural City for 2008. We are looking to do the same again with this airport and are extremely encouraged by the positive responses from the many agencies and individuals willing to share our vision.

“It was not easy to find the right name and we are grateful for the many imaginative and interesting suggestions which have been received. Ultimately, Robin Hood was by far the best known of the options, not least due to the hugely successful remake of the film Robin Hood starring Kevin Costner. The Robin Hood link will put the area firmly on the world map.

“The airport’s wider catchment area has a broad variety of attractions and qualities, and we wanted to reflect that diversity to build on the international reputation which already exists. A key consideration for us as an operator is how we can market this new facility to airlines – our primary customers - and passengers. Discussions with airlines and tour operators confirmed our belief that this brand will provide the travel industry with an identity synonymous with this part of the world.”

for more information please contact:
Helen Kitchen on 07870 213974
or
Arthur Leathley on 07768 232551