ABOVE: The historic airport is slated to be the location of a proposed battery gigafactory
Coventry Airport’s operators have confirmed it is due to close next year for the development of a multimillion-pound manufacturing site. In a statement, The Rigby Group said the cessation of runway operations at the Baginton site would allow the next phase of building works to begin for Greenpower Park, the location of a proposed battery gigafactory, which is a joint venture between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport. It received a £23m funding boost from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) last January.
The original Baginton Aerodrome opened in 1936 and while scheduled passenger flights stopped in 2008, it continued to be used for business and freight flights until financial problems forced the owners to close the airport in December 2009, after which it was acquired by the Rigby Group.
As part of its report into the issue, the BBC, which has been covering the story, said it had seen a letter sent to some tenants, telling them they have to leave by 9 May, with the closure set for 11 June 2026, and this timeline appears to have been confirmed by the CAA. A spokesperson for the Authority said, “Coventry Aerodrome has given formal notice to us of its plan to close the airport permanently with effect from 11 June 2026.”
Several flight schools, the Coventry Aeroplane Club, the Midlands Air Museum, the Nimrod Preservation Group and the Air Ambulance Service, which currently operate out of the airport, will all be impacted by the closure.
PHOTO: WMCA
