Major UK airport to close down forever - in business for 90 years
The historic airport will permanently close its doors.
Coventry Airport hosts final flight of WW2 aircraft in 2014
Coventry Airport is set to shut its doors this year, with the UK Civil Aviation Authority confirming it will cease operations from June 2026. Many locals have voiced their opinions on the closure, reflecting on the airport's rich history and the potential consequences for local businesses and the wider community.
Businesses operating at the airport were informed they must vacate the premises by May 2026. A CAA spokesperson said: "Coventry Aerodrome has given formal notice to us of its plan to close the airport permanently with effect from 11 June 2026."
The site, originally established in 1936 as Baginton Aerodrome, served as RAF Baginton, a fighter airfield during the Second World War. Over the years, it has accommodated freight, small aircraft, and occasional commercial flights.
Coventry Airport also played host to a Papal visit in 1982, when Pope John Paul II toured the UK and drew an estimated 350,000 people to the site.
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One local told Coventry Live: "All the people who are moaning about the closure are probably the same ones who campaigned a few years ago against it being used for holiday flights (you know, that thing airports do, planes taking off and landing). Or the ones who moved to Baginton and then complained about the noise!" Ivorquestion1 concurs: "Once an airport, always an airport. Part of our history will be lost again. Leave it as it is and attract more airlines. The electric battery idea already fell flat, and those who opposed Thomson's terminal will face more noise and disruption soon."
Another added: "I bet this will end up being yet another mini village housing estate with no new shops, school or surgery etc. Get ready for even longer waiting times and harder fights to get your kids into the school you want!"
A third added: "My memory of the airport will always be the annual Air Day each August, with Spitfire, Lancaster, Harrier and Phantom in the flying display. We'd get a special bus from Pool Meadow, deckchairs in hand. It invariably rained, of course. I remember the Red Arrows closing the show with their low cloud display and it was coming down in stair-rods. Goodbye, Baginton Aerodrome."
