Gloucestershire Airport

Gloucestershire Airport Gloucester M5 Airport Staverton Airport
IATA: GLO – ICAO: EGBJ
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 / 51.89417; -2.16722Coordinates: 51°53′39″N 002°10′02″W / 51.89417°N 2.16722°W / 51.89417; -2.16722
Website		www.gloucestershireairport.co.uk
Map
EGBJ Location in Gloucestershire
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
04/22	988	3,241	Asphalt
09/27	1,431	4,695	Asphalt
18/36	799	2,621	Asphalt
04/22	304	997	Grass
Statistics (2011)
Movements			67,022
Passengers			16,080
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

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 NM (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 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 WWII 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.

Services and facilities

Runway 27 from the air in October 2012, showing the newly installed lighting

A Cessna 172 G-BEZO belonging to the Staverton Flying School seen taxiing in after landing. The control tower and part of the main apron are visible in the background.

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^[11] and The Flying Shack^[12] and are specialised in helicopter and aeroplane training. 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

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.^[13] Flights are bookable to Belfast and operate via Isle of Man.

Traffic Statistics

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gloucestershire Airport.

• Official website

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