| Farnborough Airport TAG London Farnborough Airport |
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| IATA: FAB – ICAO: EGLF | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Private | ||
| Owner | Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG) | ||
| Operator | TAG Farnborough Airport Ltd. | ||
| Serves | Farnborough, Aldershot | ||
| Location | Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 238 ft / 73 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Website | |||
| Map | |||
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EGLF
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 06/24 | 2,440 | 8,005 | Asphalt |
| Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] | |||
Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport (IATA: FAB, ICAO: EGLF) (previously called RAE Farnborough, ICAO Code EGUF) is an airport situated in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England. The 310-hectare (770-acre) airport covers about 8% of Rushmoor's land area.[2]
Farnborough Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P864) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (TAG Farnborough Airport Limited).[3]
The airfield is the home of the Farnborough Airshow which takes place on even numbered years. It is also home to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, part of the Department for Transport.
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Farnborough Airport has a long history of involvement with aviation in the UK, beginning in 1908 with the creation of His Majesty's Balloon Factory.[4] This subsequently became the Royal Aircraft Establishment, a connection which continues in the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust museum.
The civil enclave was operated by Farnborough Business Aviation until 2003, when the Ministry of Defence stopped operations at Farnborough and was taken over by TAG Aviation, who now operate the airport.
In 2003 a new business aviation airport was established, with all experimental aircraft moved to Boscombe Down. Commercial defence research continues to be carried out in the adjunct Cody Technology Park by research firm QinetiQ.
Farnborough Airfield appeared in the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace, as the Austrian airport Bond flies from.[5]
The airfield was also a location used in the 2010 film, "Inception".
After TAG took control of the airport from the MOD, it invested in a series of new infrastructure projects, including a new radar unit and a resurfaced runway. The most striking development was the construction of a new control tower, a large hangar unit, and finally a brand new terminal building that opened in 2006, all designed by Reid Architecture and Buro Happold. The designs won local admiration and a series of awards, and were nominated for Building of the Year by Building Magazine in 2007. The Terminal was officially opened by HRH Prince Andrew.
TAG Aviation are a multinational business aviation operator, with aircraft based in Farnborough, Switzerland, and Madrid. Business aviation flying has grown from a low level in 1989 to around 19,000 movements in 2005.
The airport is home to a number of the UK's largest business jet companies, including Gama Aviation Executive Jet Charter and Bookajet.
Farnborough Airport sees the bulk of its traffic from conventional business jets, such as the Cessna Citation, the Gulfstream, the Dassault Falcon, the Learjet, the Bombardier Challenger, the Bombardier Global 5000, the Bombardier Global XRS and the BAe 125. The airport is also popular with operators of larger aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A319 -- however, the use of these types is heavily restricted, with nothing larger than a 737-800 permitted except during the airshow.
The only scheduled services the airport sees is that operated by BAE Systems, the headquarters of which is adjacent to the airport. BAE operate a BAe 146 on a twice daily shuttle service to Warton Aerodrome, and a regular Beechcraft Super King Air service to Filton Aerodrome, Bristol, and Walney Island.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has its head office in Farnborough House,[6] located in a compound within Farnborough Airport.[7]
During the Farnborough Airshow on 6 September 1952, a de Havilland Sea Vixen crashed.[8] Following a demonstration of its ability to break the sound barrier, the aircraft disintegrated, killing 31 people, including the crew of two: test pilot and record breaker John Derry and Tony Richards.[8] This incident led to a major restructuring of the safety regulations for air shows in the UK and since this crash no member of the public has died as a result of an airshow accident in the UK.[8]
During the 4 September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, a de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo was damaged beyond repair when it struck Runway 25 during landing after a steep short-final descent while demonstrating its STOL capabilities to spectators and customers. The nosegear collapsed, followed by failure of the wing spar on both sides near the fuselage, both propellers shedding blades and the plane skidding to a halt on the runway. The 2 crew and one passenger survived the crash; nobody else was injured. The accident was attributed to pilot error with gusty wind conditions as a major factor.[9]
The airport was originally restricted to 28,000 movements each year, of which no more than 2,500 were permitted at weekends. In October 2005, TAG applied to Rushmoor Borough Council to have the weekend limit raised from 2,500 movements to 5,000 movements. The application was initially refused, but allowed by the Government on appeal in March 2008 after being heard at a Public Inquiry. A further application for an increase in the overall limit to 50,000 movements per annum was refused by Rushmoor Borough Council in 2009 and an appeal against this refusal was heard in May 2010. In February 2011 the joint Secretaries of State decided to uphold the planning appeal and allow an increase in the number of permitted annual movements at the airport to 50,000. The increase in movements will be phased to reach 50,000 in 2019.[10]
Opposition to the business airport has been chronicled by Blackwater Environmental Justice and Farnborough Aerodrome Residents Association (FARA) was formed by the local community to oppose the airport expansion.
As a means of a promoting a closer working relationship with local enthusiasts, Hampshire Police has established Aviation/Airport Watch Scheme.[11]
Membership does not give a person any additional rights over any other member of the public but enables the police to have regular contact with enthusiasts.
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