Gloucestershire Airport Gloucester M5 Airport Staverton Airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/Military | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Gloucester City and Cheltenham Borough Council | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Gloucestershire Airport Limited | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | M5 Area,Gloucester | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Churchdown,Gloucestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 101 ft / 31 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°53′39″N002°10′02″W / 51.89417°N 2.16722°W /51.89417; -2.16722 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||||||
  EGBJ Location in GloucestershireFBO = Weston Aviation | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2013) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sources: UKAIP atNATS[1] Statistics from theUK Civil Aviation Authority[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Gloucestershire Airport (IATA:GLO,ICAO:EGBJ), formerlyStaverton Airport, is a small airport located inChurchdown, England. It lies 3.5nautical miles (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) west ofCheltenham, near the city ofGloucester and close to theM5 motorway. Its operator claims it to be Gloucestershire's largestgeneral aviation airfield,[3][better source needed] and it is regularly used for private charter flights to destinations such asJersey andGuernsey.
An airfield was opened in 1931, named after the local village ofDown Hatherley; the change of name to Staverton followed relocation to the present site, nearStaverton village. The airfield served as a training base for pilots during theSecond World War and was known asRAF Staverton. It was later used byAlan Cobham as he developedin-flight refuelling. Apillbox that was part of theBritish anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War can still be found opposite the main airfield entrance. With its proximity to Cheltenham, it was also used extensively by the U.S. Army, particularly theService of Supply under its commanding general, Lt. Gen.John C. H. Lee, who was responsible for all supply and administrative functions of U.S. forces in Britain, beginning in May 1942.
After the war, what is nowSmiths Group used the airport as a test site for various aircraft. At the same time the airport provided scheduled services to theChannel Islands,Dublin andIsle of Man. In the 1960s the Skyfame Museum, dedicated to World War II aircraft, opened.
In the 1990s, both the Police Aviation Services andBond Air Services stationed helicopters and their headquarters at Staverton. In 1993, its name was changed to Gloucestershire Airport in an effort to "reflect its increasing prominence as the business aviation centre for the county".[4]
During the 1990s, Staverton was the home of the MidWest production facility where the company manufactured theMidWest AE series of single- and twin-rotorWankel aero-engines for light aircraft. The twin-rotor engine was first installed into twoARV Super2 aircraft. Midwest was eventually closed down, and its assets bought by Austrian manufacturerDiamond Aircraft Industries.
Between 2013 and 2017,Citywing operated scheduled flights from the airport, describing it as "Gloucester (M5) Airport" and marketing it as an alternative toBirmingham Airport,Bristol Airport and to a lesser extentOxford Airport.[5]
In 2009, the airport was granted planning permission for expansion, first proposed in 2006, which included lengthening a runway.[6][7] The plans were controversial and proved divisive amongst the local community and authorities.[8][9]In March 2015, Gloucestershire Airport announced that it will look to provide more flights, more hangars and more profits in the coming years as part of a new vision for the transport hub. The business plan will see £6 million invested in the airport between 2015 and 2025.[10]
The former north/south runway 18/36 was closed in August 2023 after the main runways 09/27 & 04/22 were re-surfaced. The former runway is now Taxiways D & G.[citation needed]
Many of the flights to and from the airport are for business purposes, but there are also recreational flights and training flights.
The airport houses several flying clubs for private pilots including Bristol Aero Club,[11] Cotswold Aero Club[12] and the Staverton Flying School[13] alongside commercial pilot training from Aeros[14] and Skyborne Aviation.[15] Specialist helicopter trainers JK Helicopter Training and Heli Air also provide gift/pleasure helicopter flights.[16] People are able to undertake theirpilot's licence training at the airport.
Also based at the airport is SimAir737 providing flight simulator facilities to professional pilots, private pilots and the general public through use of its upgraded Boeing 737-800NG fixed base simulator. Alongside SimAir is The Little Jet Company, which has a fleet ofCitation Bravo andKing Air 350 business jets that can be chartered around Europe.[17] The airport also has its own Fixed Base Operator in the form of Weston Aviation.
The airport is home to The Aviator restaurant and bar. There is a live video camera,[18] aimed on a bearing of 255 degrees, just south of due west.
The majority of Gloucestershire Airport's movements are operated by private aircraft.
Citywing previously flew a minimum of five weekly to the Isle of Man during the winter months and up to 25 times weekly during the summer peak season. The Jersey route was flown three times per month during the peak season between July and September, but was not operated during the winter months.[19] This service ended in March 2017, after the airline was liquidated.
| Year | Number of Passengers | Number of Aircraft Movements |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 9,012 | 48,421 |
| 1970 | 7,563 | 44,831 |
| 1971 | 8,441 | 52,179 |
| 1972 | 8,035 | 55,030 |
| 1973 | 10,496 | 46,670 |
| 1974 | 11,479 | 41,942 |
| 1975 | 4,548 | 42,790 |
| 1976 | 7,337 | 39,564 |
| 1977 | 15,282 | 40,895 |
| 1978 | 17,774 | 37,929 |
| 1979 | 16,607 | 43,615 |
| 1980 | 9,833 | 45,689 |
| 1981 | 5,348 | 41,092 |
| 1982 | 5,029 | 42,639 |
| 1983 | 4,981 | 52,591 |
| 1984 | 3,527 | 46,492 |
| 1985 | 3,760 | 42,676 |
| 1986 | 3,285 | 52,044 |
| 1987 | 3,539 | 57,117 |
| 1988 | 3,274 | 69,696 |
| 1989 | 5,621 | 87,670 |
| 1990 | 4,794 | 94,813 |
| 1991 | 4,485 | 76,025 |
| 1992 | 9,646 | 66,566 |
| 1993 | 8,876 | 70,557 |
| 1994 | 3,427 | 70,485 |
| 1995 | 2,198 | 81,182 |
| 1996 | 1,938 | 76,385 |
| 1997 | 2,104 | 78,626 |
| 1998 | 2,246 | 84,636 |
| 1999 | 2,192 | 75,350 |
| 2000 | 2,038 | 82,334 |
| 2001 | 64 | 82,359 |
| 2002 | 195 | 80,168 |
| 2003 | N/A | 80,803 |
| 2004 | N/A | 90,285 |
| 2005 | N/A | 82,771 |
| 2006 | 166 | 83,453 |
| 2007 | 5,359 | 78,694 |
| 2008 | 20,156 | 76,755 |
| 2009 | 20,531 | 68,075 |
| 2010 | 16,533 | 67,788 |
| 2011 | 14,748 | 67,715 |
| 2012 | 15,292 | 73,762 |
| 2013 | 14,168 | 73,857 |
| 2014 | 15,172 | 73,687 |
| 2015 | 12,267 | 74,474 |
| 2016 | 12,365 | 83,329 |
| 2017 | 1,464 | 81,451 |
| 2018 | N/A | 78,022 |
| 2019 | N/A | 74,523 |
| 2020 | N/A | 53,336 |
| 2021 | N/A | 65,009 |
| 2022 | N/A | 60,020 |
| 2023 | N/A | 68,100 |
| https://www.caa.co.uk/data-and-analysis/uk-aviation-market/airports/uk-airport-data, e.g. UK airport data 2023 -> Annual 2023 -> 'Table 01 Size of UK Airports' and 'Table 03 1 Aircraft Movements' Data available underCreative Commons Zero. | ||
On 14 November 2014,BBC Radio Gloucestershire and its listeners set a new world record for the longest line of cakes, to raise money forChildren in Need. Volunteers around the region baked 14,392 cupcakes which were laid in a line at the airport. At about 16:45 GMT, an adjudicator fromGuinness confirmed the breaking of the world record which now stands at 885.6 metres (2,906 ft) of cakes. The previous record of 606 metres (1,988 ft) was set inColombia in 2013.[20]
Media related toGloucestershire Airport at Wikimedia Commons
