Gloucestershire Airport (IATA: GLO, ICAO: EGBJ), formerly Staverton Airport, is a small airport at Churchdown, 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. Its operator claims it to be Gloucestershire's largest general aviation airfield,[3] and it is regularly used for private charter flights to destinations such as Jersey and Guernsey.
An airfield was opened in 1931, named after the local village of Down Hatherley; the change of name to Staverton followed relocation to the present site, near Staverton village. The airfield 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. A pillbox that was part of the British 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 the Service 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 now Smiths Group used the airport as a test site for various aircraft. At the same time the airport provided scheduled services 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, 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 the MidWest AE series of single- and twin-rotor Wankel aero-engines for light aircraft. The twin-rotor engine was first installed into two ARV Super2 aircraft. Midwest was eventually closed down, and its assets bought by Austrian manufacturer Diamond 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 to Birmingham Airport, Bristol Airport and to a lesser extent Oxford Airport.[5]
Expansion
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 £6million invested in the airport between 2015 and 2025.[10]
Services and facilities
Runway 27 from the air in October 2012, showing the newly installed lighting
A Cessna 172 belonging to the Staverton Flying School taxiing in after landing; the control tower and part of the main apron are in the background
Gloucestershire airport in 2017, looking west: on the left is the straight A40 road and at the bottom the M5 motorway
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 their pilot's licence training at the airport.
Also based at the airport is the Little Jet Company, which has a fleet of Citation Bravo and King Air 350 business jets that can be chartered around Europe.[17]
The airport has a pilot shop, and is also home to The Aviator restaurant and bar. There is a live video camera,[18] aimed on a bearing of 255degrees, just south of due west.
Airlines and destinations
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.
Traffic statistics
Annual passenger traffic at GLO airport. See Wikidata query.
On 14 November 2014, BBC Radio Gloucestershire and its listeners set a new world record for the longest line of cakes, 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 (2,906 ft) of cakes. The previous record of 606 metres (1,988 ft) was set in Colombia in 2013.[21]
^Manx2 Press Release 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine referring to Gloucestershire Airport as Gloucester (M5)
^Tewkesbury Council – Planning Applications 06/01668/FUL, 06/01669/FUL, 06/01670/FUL and 06/01671/FUL; for others, search using Gloucestershire Airport in Applicant Name
^. Gloucestershire Airport. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012.
^BBC Gloucestershire Feature on Gloucestershire Airport expansion, 2008, including audio interview with airport director and local views
^"CASE - Concerned residents Against Staverton Expansion".
^. Gloucester Citizen. 17 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Media related to Gloucestershire Airport at Wikimedia Commons
Official website
January 31, 2023
gloucestershire, airport, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, style, several, templates, tools, ava. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as Reflinks documentation reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Gloucestershire Airport IATA GLO ICAO EGBJ formerly Staverton Airport is a small airport at Churchdown 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 Its operator claims it to be Gloucestershire s largest general aviation airfield 3 and it is regularly used for private charter flights to destinations such as Jersey and Guernsey Gloucestershire AirportGloucester M5 AirportStaverton AirportIATA GLOICAO EGBJSummaryAirport typePublic MilitaryOwnerGloucestershire City and Cheltenham Borough CouncilOperatorGloucestershire Airport LimitedServesM5 Area GloucesterLocationChurchdown GloucestershireElevation AMSL101 ft 31 mCoordinates51 53 39 N 002 10 02 W 51 89417 N 2 16722 W 51 89417 2 16722 Coordinates 51 53 39 N 002 10 02 W 51 89417 N 2 16722 W 51 89417 2 16722Websitewww wbr gloucestershireairport wbr co wbr ukMapEGBJLocation in GloucestershireRunwaysDirection Length Surfacem ft04 22 988 3 241 Asphalt09 27 1 431 4 695 Asphalt18 36 799 2 621 Asphalt04G 22G 304 997 GrassStatistics 2013 Movements73 857Passengers14 168Sources UK AIP at NATS 1 Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority 2 Contents 1 History 1 1 Expansion 2 Services and facilities 3 Airlines and destinations 4 Traffic statistics 5 Events 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditAn airfield was opened in 1931 named after the local village of Down Hatherley the change of name to Staverton followed relocation to the present site near Staverton village The airfield 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 A pillbox that was part of the British 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 the Service 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 now Smiths Group used the airport as a test site for various aircraft At the same time the airport provided scheduled services 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 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 the MidWest AE series of single and twin rotor Wankel aero engines for light aircraft The twin rotor engine was first installed into two ARV Super2 aircraft Midwest was eventually closed down and its assets bought by Austrian manufacturer Diamond 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 to Birmingham Airport Bristol Airport and to a lesser extent Oxford Airport 5 Expansion Edit 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 Services and facilities Edit Runway 27 from the air in October 2012 showing the newly installed lighting A Cessna 172 belonging to the Staverton Flying School taxiing in after landing the control tower and part of the main apron are in the background Gloucestershire airport in 2017 looking west on the left is the straight A40 road and at the bottom the M5 motorway 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 their pilot s licence training at the airport Also based at the airport is the Little Jet Company which has a fleet of Citation Bravo and King Air 350 business jets that can be chartered around Europe 17 The airport has a pilot shop and is also 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 Airlines and destinations EditThe 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 Traffic statistics EditAnnual passenger traffic at GLO airport See Wikidata query Number of Passengers Aircraft Movements1969 9 012 48 4211970 7 563 44 8311971 8 441 52 1791972 8 035 55 0301973 10 496 46 6701974 11 479 41 9421975 4 548 42 7901976 7 337 39 5641977 15 282 40 8951978 17 774 37 9291979 16 607 43 6151980 9 833 45 6891981 5 348 41 0921982 5 029 42 6391983 4 981 52 5911984 3 527 46 4921985 3 760 42 6761986 3 285 52 0441987 3 539 57 1171988 3 274 69 6961989 5 621 87 6701990 4 794 94 8131991 4 485 76 0251992 9 646 66 5661993 8 876 70 5571994 3 427 70 4851995 2 198 81 1821996 1 938 76 3851997 2 104 78 6261998 2 246 84 6361999 2 192 75 3502000 2 038 82 3342001 64 82 3592002 195 80 1682003 N A 80 8032004 N A 90 2852005 N A 82 7712006 166 83 4532007 5 359 78 6942008 20 156 76 7552009 20 531 68 0752010 16 533 67 7882011 14 748 67 7152012 15 292 73 7622013 14 168 73 8572014 15 172 73 6872015 12 267 74 4742016 12 365 83 3292017 1 464 81 451Source CAA Official Statistics 20 Events EditOn 14 November 2014 BBC Radio Gloucestershire and its listeners set a new world record for the longest line of cakes 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 2 906 ft of cakes The previous record of 606 metres 1 988 ft was set in Colombia in 2013 21 References Edit Gloucestershire EGBJ Data and analysis UK Civil Aviation Authority Archived from the original on 16 October 2014 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 History Archived 1 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Manx2 Press Release Archived 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine referring to Gloucestershire Airport as Gloucester M5 Tewkesbury Council Planning Applications 06 01668 FUL 06 01669 FUL 06 01670 FUL and 06 01671 FUL for others search using Gloucestershire Airport in Applicant Name Frequently Asked Questions Gloucestershire Airport Archived from the original on 21 September 2012 BBC Gloucestershire Feature on Gloucestershire Airport expansion 2008 including audio interview with airport director and local views CASE Concerned residents Against Staverton Expansion Gloucestershire Airport sets out new vision for more flights more hangars and more profits Gloucester Citizen 17 March 2015 Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 17 March 2015 Bristol Aero Club Retrieved 15 October 2020 Cotswold Aero Club Retrieved 15 October 2020 Staverton Flying School Retrieved 15 October 2020 Aeros Flight Training Retrieved 15 October 2020 Skyborne Airline Academy Skyborne Airline Academy Retrieved 15 October 2020 JK Helicopter Training Gloucestershire Retrieved 15 October 2020 The Little Jet Company Retrieved 4 March 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Gloucestershire Airport Webcam http www airkiosk com cgi bin airkiosk display ssim NM Data and analysis UK Civil Aviation Authority BBC Radio Gloucestershire sets longest cake line record BBC News 14 November 2014 Retrieved 15 November 2014 External links Edit England portal Aviation portal Media related to Gloucestershire Airport at Wikimedia Commons Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gloucestershire Airport amp oldid 1133352066, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
