GLOUCESTERSHIRE
 

Starting this thread because Gloucestershire airport barely gets a mention. :)


Citywing offer twice daily flights to Isle of Man with onward connections to Belfast. There's a seasonal route to Jersey in the summer.

Never gets mentioned as struggling to survive like some other UK airports in this forum. 1400 pax in August so am assuming it's thriving on other income?

I genuinely don't know much about it.

I guess GA and maintenance are responsible for the bulk of Staverton's income.

Think Gloucester is often thought of as an airfield not an airport, but when you look closely at the many activities that go on at the airfield it is quite interesting. Think passenger flights are second to the general aviation activates.

It's really a GA airport. Lots of flying clubs based offering training, plus several helicopter operators.
Exec jets seen fairly often, and I think some based.

It's the UK's busiest GA Airport, handling 75-80 000 movements per annum. About 180 resident aircraft, ranging from microlights to a dozen corporate jets/turboprops. Manx2/Citywing began scheduled operations in 2007. They've ridden the recession and have flown over 120k pax to IOM and, seasonally, JER. Occaisonal pax charters (ATR42/72, Dash 8, D328, RJ85 etc.) and growing corporate air taxi and business aviation sector (Netjets etc.) with everything from C510 to GLEX.

It's a limited company, wholly owned by the two local authorities (Cheltenham & Gloucester), which has traded profitibaly since its formation in 1992. Has a sizeable non-aviation property portfolio on the north side of the airfield.

The £4m Runway Safety Project was finally completed last year, increasing declared distances and installing ILS on the main runway.

Citywing have proven the viability of 'niche' scheduled services and recent research shows an EDI or GLA demand for a small operator.

Pax definitely not the main focus, however and the diversity of operations is what makes it a success. Voted 'UK's Best GA Airport 2013' by AOPA.

Well done Gloucestershire. I remember visiting there in the '60s when it was just Gloucester/Staverton and seeing the Skyfame Museum Avro York and Airspeed Oxford. British Midland were flying Dakotas on the Jersey route in those days, if I recall correctly. Good to hear that the airfield is still going strong.

'Staverton' was introduced back into the marketing and PR activities a couple of years ago.

With a rather nice symmetry, Jet Age Museum was officially opened at Staverton by Eric 'Winkle'Brown in May, 50 years after Skyfame opened.

The Airport donated the museum a 2-acre site to house their collection.

Apart from its primary 'airport' function as an exceptionally busy GA facility it's actually got one over on Bristol Airport (twice in fact) with its IoM service.

Some years ago Eastern came off BRS-IOM not long after the GLO-IOM route began. Flybe then tried BRS-IOM for a while but that too was eventually pulled whilst all the time the GLO venture went happily along.

Situated as it is in the triangle of BHX, BRS and CWL one would think that it would have no chance of scheduled commercial routes but someone saw a niche and made a success of it. Both BRS and CWL would love its motorway neighbour too.

matspart - I know that GLO is very busy GA-wise (you said it's the busiest in the UK) but has the Filton closure accounted for even more traffic?

I'd assumed that because it had scheduled commercial passenger services it would be classed as an airport? Correct me if I'm wrong :)

MV
We only took half a dozen residents from Filton and have picked up lots of ILS and RNAV training.

There's no doubt the 'passenger experience' (free parking, three minutes from the motorway, 15-minute check in etc.) is very popular. The 1hr drive catchment area is surprisingly large. Scotland, Paris and Dublin always appear top of the survey 'wish list' but the UK market has very limited spare turboprop capacity, cannot realistically compete with loco on high frequency routes and has even less appetite for a speculative punt on a new route.

With the right aeroplane on the right route (as per Citywing) it'll work but GA will always be the core business.

Many thanks matspart.

litefoot1, in my mind I would say yes, I have been having a discussion tonight about how many airports have to pay airlines to come and operate from there airfields so that they can earn money from carparks, shops and other services.
Whilst airfields make money on renting hangars, fuel, landing fees and so on.

My local airport has been looking at the Staverton idea as they realised there was no money in the cut-throat loco airline business.

Maybe others should do so as well. BTW, which is your local airport, N707ZS?

DTV airport.

Staverton, both blessed and cursed by its location. Blessed because it's so close to the M5, A40, A417 and has a railway line practically next to it. Cursed because it's so close to housing and GCHQ, which will limit scope for future expansion.

I don't think "expansion" in terms of a longer runway and then larger aircraft is ever going to be on the agenda. Given the site, the runway safety project makes the best of what they have. So no "package tours to the Med" and the like.
matspart3 will no doubt confirm.
I'll accept what you say about an adjacent railway line, must have missed that when I drove by the other day!

Indeed EGCA.

The Runway Safety Project maximised the potential of the Code 2 Runway. Code 3 will never be possible, nor planned. The railway line passes a mile south and a bus service runs from Cheltenham Station every 15 minutes, Mon to Fri.

Just won the 'Best GA Airport' award for the second year running, presented at the AOA Conference, voted by AOPA members.

Cheltenham Borough Council (as joint shareholder of GLO with Gloucester City) has reviewed the airport's business plan for 2015-18 - notes here:

https://democracy.cheltenham.gov.uk/...%20Version.pdf

Proposals includeupgrading/increasing hangars and "facilities and infrastructure to supportthe commercial/business aviation market sector".

Been a while since this thread's been updated...
 

Subtle adjustments to the Citywing summer schedule means that Newcastle and Glasgow can now be reached via the Isle of Man a couple of times a week with an approx. 40 min stopover.

New no - hassle flights available from Gloucestershire Airport to Newcastle and Glasgow

Otherwise, Staverton continues to be the UK's busiest GA airport. Total traffic grew by 2% in 2015 to 74 300 movements, with its busiest ever corporate and business aviation year. Several large hangar developments planned in 2016.