This isn't originally my post, so apologies to fairflier, but it deserves more than being at the bottom of a Shoreham thread. Quoting -
It's the built up property side, the northern half of Fairoaks which is for sale (freehold) not the operational aerodrome (runway, taxiways etc.). Albemarle Fairoaks Ltd went into administration last February and now the administrators are disposing of all the built up side of the airport - the buildings plus adjacent pockets of land (40 acres in total), but all in the greenbelt, so there's not a lot you can do with it.
See
www.joneslanglasalle.com/MediaResources/EU/Property/England/JLL_England_National_Investment_Fairoaks_Airport.p df
The runway and adjacent grass areas around it are still owned by Fairoaks Airport Ltd (FAL) - whoever owns that - is that still part of the Longmint Group? But there's no airport infrastructure included in that land at all - just a strip of tarmac and grass.
The problem is that aside from the airport operator/owner (FAL) and Mann Aviation, nobody else has any security of tenure and could all be booted off in a blink of an eye for redevelopment or new deals at much higher rents.
It's a bit worrrying to say the least. What gaurantees are there that Fairoaks Airport Ltd will continue to operate their side as an aerodrome, licensed or otherwise? Without any property income (for FAL), there's not enough cash from landing fees etc. for that to remain a viable licensed strip and they've still got to pay the new buyer of the northern side an extortionate amount for a few operational buildings - at least until 2017, when the lease term expires. But I doubt they'll survive that long - the numbers just don't stack up.
Who's got the background on this?
It would be useful to know, if anyone has the means, who ultimately owns Fairoaks Airport Ltd, as mentioned in the sale document and above.
B