Gloucestershire Airport
Gloucestershire Airport Gloucester M5 Airport Staverton Airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Gloucestershire Airport Terminal Building | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/Military | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Gloucestershire Airport Limited | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | M5 Area, Gloucester | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Staverton, Gloucestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 101 ft / 31 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°53′39″N 002°10′02″W / 51.89417°N 2.16722°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.gloucestershireairport.co.uk | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||||||
  EGBJ Location in Gloucestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2013) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gloucestershire Airport (IATA: GLO, ICAO: EGBJ), formerly Staverton Airport, is located at Staverton, in the Borough of Tewkesbury within Gloucestershire, England. It lies 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) west of Cheltenham, near the city of Gloucester and close to the M5 motorway. According to the sign at the airport's entrance it is Gloucestershire's largest general aviation airfield.[3]
It is regularly used for private charter flights to destinations such as Jersey and Guernsey, and the airline Citywing now operates scheduled flights from the Airport and markets the airport as an alternative to Birmingham Airport, Bristol Airport and to a lesser extent London Oxford Airport. This is due the airport's ease of use and lack of time spent at the airport compared to its larger counterparts.[4] Citywing promotes the airport as "Gloucester (M5) Airport".[5]
History
Originally opened in 1931 and named after Down Hatherley it was situated near the present site and later renamed to Staverton after the move. Like other airports, Staverton served as a training base for pilots during the Second World War and was known as RAF Staverton. It was later used by Alan Cobham as he developed in-flight refuelling.
After the war, what is now Smiths Group used the airport as a test site for various aircraft. At the same time the airport provided scheduled service to the Channel Islands, Dublin and Isle of Man. In the 1960s the Skyfame Museum, dedicated to World War II aircraft, opened.
In the 1990s both the Police Aviation Services and Bond Air Services stationed helicopters and their headquarters at Staverton. In 1993 Staverton was changed to Gloucestershire Airport in an effort to "...reflect its increasing prominence as the business aviation centre for the county."[6]
Gloucestershire Airport currently plans to expand[7] in order to lengthen a runway.[8] The plans are controversial and have proved divisive amongst the local community and authorities.[9][10] Environmentalists have objected to the expansion due to potential for increases in carbon dioxide emissions.
On 14 November 2014, BBC Radio Gloucestershire and its listeners had set a new world record for the longest line of cakes ever, to raise money for Children 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 from Guinness confirmed the breaking of the world record which now stands at 885.6 metres of cakes (2,905 ft). The previous record of 606m (1,988 ft) was set in Colombia in 2013.[11]
During the 1990s, Staverton was the home of the MidWest production facility where the company manufactured the MidWest AE series of single- and twin-rotor Wankel aero-engines for light aircraft. The twin-rotor enngine was first installed into two ARV Super2 aircrraft. Midwest was eventually closed down, and its assets bought by Diamond Aircraft Industries, of Vienna, Austria.
Future of the airport
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.[12]
Services and facilities
Many of the flights to and from the airport are for business purposes, but there are also a large proportion of domestic flights, recreational flights and training flights.
The airport houses many flying schools, including the Aeros club, the Staverton Flying School[13] and The Flying Shack[14] and are specialised in helicopter and aeroplane training with JK Helicopter Training[15] being specialist helicopter trainers- who also provide gift/ pleasure helicopter flights. Many people opt to do their pilot's licence training at the airport. At Aeros, it is possible to obtain training right up to the Commercial Pilot's Licence / Instrument Rating or (CPL/IR) standard.
Executive Aviation Services Ltd also offer type ratings on Cessna Citation business jets. As well as aircraft acquisition, management and business jet/turboprop charter to a large number of destinations covering Europe and Scandinavia using Citation Bravo's, Citation Excel, XLS and XLS+, and also King Air 200 and 350 aircraft.
The airport has a Pilot Shop, and is also home to The Aviator restaurant and bar.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Citywing operated by Van Air Europe | Isle of Man Seasonal: Jersey |
Citywing flies a minimum of 5x weekly to the Isle of Man during the winter months and up to 25x weekly during the summer peak season. The Jersey route is flown three times per month during the peak season between July and September, but is not operated during the winter months.[16] Flights are bookable to Belfast and operate via Isle of Man.
The majority of Gloucestershire Airport's movements are operated by private aircraft.
Traffic Statistics
| Number of Passengers | Aircraft Movements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 19,886 | 80,109 | |
| 2009 | 21,933 | 70,572 | |
| 2010 | 17,639 | 67,467 | |
| 2011 | 16,080 | 67,022 | |
| 2012 | 15,292 | 73,762 | |
| 2013 | 14,168 | 73,857 | |
| Source: CAA Official Statistics[17] | |||
References
- ^ Gloucestershire – EGBJ
- ^ UK Airport Statistics: 2013 – annual
- ^ According to the sign at the entrance to the airport (see photo on official web site) it's "The Southwest's Premier General Aviation Airport"
- ^ [1]
- ^ Manx2 Press Release referring to Gloucestershire Airport as Gloucester (M5)
- ^ History
- ^ Tewkesbury Council – Planning Applications 06/01668/FUL, 06/01669/FUL, 06/01670/FUL and 06/01671/FUL, pending consideration. See Planning Application Enquiry and search using Gloucestershire Airport in Applicant Name:
- ^ Gloucestershire Airport FAQs regarding expansion and runway extension
- ^ BBC Gloucestershire Feature on Gloucestershire Airport expansion, including audio interview with airport director and local views
- ^ Concerned residents Against Staverton Expansion
- ^ "BBC Radio Gloucestershire sets longest cake line record". BBC News. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Gloucestershire Airport sets out new vision for more flights, more hangars and more profits". Gloucester Citizen. 17 March 2015.
- ^ Staverton Flying School website
- ^ The Flying Shack website
- ^ JK Helicopter training website
- ^ [2]
- ^ UK Airport Statistics
External links
