Finningley
|
|
Finningley is a village in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster (part of South Yorkshire, England), on the border with Nottinghamshire. It lies on the A614 road, about six miles from the centre of Doncaster, at Template:Coor dm, and at an elevation of around 7 metres above sea level.
Finningley is known for its airport, formerly RAF Finningley. The base housed a 'V' force of Vulcan bombers during the Cold War, and for 35 years it hosted a regular air show which by the 1990s was the largest one-day military air show in the country. However, the end of the Cold War led to the base being closed in April 1996, with the air show dying with it.
The 2741 metre long runway, currently the second longest in the north of England, was sufficiently large to take even Concorde, and in the period after the closure of the RAF base there were several campaigns to turn Finningley into a commercial airport for the underserved South Yorkshire region (as well as the neighbouring counties of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire).
Plans for the conversion were finally approved in 2003, with the first flights expected in late 2004. It is anticipated that the airport, renamed Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, will reach maximum capacity by 2014.
Leon Motors, bus company based in Finningley, operates buses in Doncaster. Formed in 1922, it was taken over by MASS of North Anston during 2004.
External link
- Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield (http://www.robinhoodairport.com/)