Cranfield Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Private, former RAF Station | ||||||||||
| Owner | Cranfield University | ||||||||||
| Operator | Cranfield University | ||||||||||
| Serves | Bedford,Milton Keynes | ||||||||||
| Location | Cranfield | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 358 ft / 109 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°04′20″N000°37′00″W / 52.07222°N 0.61667°W /52.07222; -0.61667 | ||||||||||
| Website | www.cranfieldairport.com | ||||||||||
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  EGTC Location in Bedfordshire | |||||||||||
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Cranfield Airport (ICAO:EGTC) is an airfield just outside the village ofCranfield, inBedfordshire,England. It is 7 NM (13 km; 8.1 mi) south-west ofBedford and 5.5 NM (10.2 km; 6.3 mi) east ofMilton Keynes.[2] It was originally a Second World War aerodrome,RAF Cranfield. It is now used for business aviation, private flights, and for research and development activities.
RAF Cranfield was built byJohn Laing & Son on 100 acres (0.40 km2) of farmland acquired by theAir Ministry in 1935 as Britain re-armed to face the growing threats on the continent.[3] It was formally opened on 1 June 1937 and initially became the base forNo. 62 Squadron RAF andNo. 82 Squadron RAF ofNo. 1 (Bomber) Group, flying the already obsoleteHawker Hind biplanes.
Both squadrons converted toBristol Blenheim Is in 1938. 62 Squadron was moved toSingapore in August 1939 where it wasdestroyed by the invading Japanese Imperial forces. RAF Cranfield's grass airstrip was replaced with three hardened runways in the winter of 1939 and spring of 1940 and became a target for enemy action in the late summer of that year, with mines, bombs and incendiaries dropped on it and the nearby village ofCranfield.[citation needed]
AircraftsmanVivian Hollowday, serving at the airfield, won theGeorge Cross for the attempted rescue of two crews which crashed there in July and August 1940.[4]
August 1941 saw the fast developing station become a night fighter training centre with the arrival of No. 51 Night fighter Operational Training Unit. This was disbanded afterthe end of the war in Europe in May 1945 and the airfield became the site for a newCollege of Aeronautics (nowCranfield University). This college helped develop the highly successfulHawker Siddeley Harrier jump jet and has serviced theHawker Hurricanes andSupermarine Spitfires of theBattle of Britain Memorial Flight. The UK's sole remaining airworthyAvro Lancaster was based at Cranfield until 1964.[5][6]
The following squadrons were here at some point:
The following units were also here at some point:[16]
Cranfield Aerodrome has aCAA Ordinary Licence (number P803) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Cranfield University) situated next to the site.[26]
The airfield is used for a small number of university-related flights in addition to flying schools and private owners. One of theMet Office research aircraft (aBAE 146), operated under theFacility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements, is usually based on the airfield.
Situated 3 mi (4.8 km) to the northeast of theM1 motorway andMilton Keynes, the airfield has a large catchment area.
Although the length of the runway means that Cranfield can handle commercial aircraft (up to the size of aBoeing 757), the remaining infrastructure is not suitable for scheduled passenger flights or for the handling of such aircraft.
Navigation aids include:[27]
In September 2016, the press reported that until the end of March 2017, the airport would be closed at weekends while a new air traffic control officer (ATCO) was trained; during this period, there would be days when only a single ATCO was available, and on those days, reduced opening hours would operate. Planned and permanent redistribution of aircraft traffic (PPR) was introduced. During this period, runway rejuvenation work was also carried out.[28]
In early 2018, the press reported plans to expand the airport's business aviation activities with a new terminal, a hotel and other improvements and to rename the airport 'London' Cranfield Airport.[29] In April 2018, it was reported that Central Bedfordshire Council had granted planning permission for a new 'Air Park', expected to be completed in 2024.[30]
In May 2019, Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group (now calledMarshall Group), owners ofCambridge City Airport, announced that their airport would be closed to all traffic by 2030 at the latest. The Group plans to redevelop their Cambridge site for housing and commercial uses.[31] That announcement said that the Group would be deciding between three potential airfields for its continuing operations:Duxford andWyton in Cambridgeshire, and Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire.[31] On 6 October 2020, Cranfield University and Marshall Group announced that they had signed an option agreement for the potential relocation of Marshall Aerospace to Cranfield Airport.[32]
In October 2021, the Group announced that it had decided in favour of the Cranfield option and that "it will leave its current base at Cambridge Airport by 2030".[33] The Group proposes to move its global group headquarters (as well as its Aerospace division) to Cranfield.[34]
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