Coventry Airport is set to close permanently in 2026, with all flights ceasing within days. The airport, which has been operational for 90 years, will be replaced by a multi-million pound battery site dedicated to green energy production.
Final Flights and Closure Date
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has confirmed that Coventry Airport will cease operations on June 11, 2026. The last planes are scheduled to depart on May 9, 2026. Originally known as Baginton Aerodrome when it opened in 1936, the airport served as an RAF base during World War II. In recent years, it has primarily handled charter flights and training, rather than scheduled passenger services.
Transition to Green Power Park
The land will be redeveloped into Greenpower Park, a large-scale battery production plant, or “gigafactory,” aimed at supporting the UK’s shift toward electric vehicles. A spokesperson from the CAA stated: "Coventry Aerodrome has given formal notice to us of its plan to close the airport permanently with effect from 11 June 2026." The Rigby Group, which owns the site, added: "This procedural submission, first envisaged when local planning approval for Green Power Park was granted in 2022, enables the next phase of infrastructure work for the site to proceed."
Jim O'Boyle, the councillor responsible for jobs and regeneration at Coventry City Council, expressed optimism about the project: "What we want to see are thousands of jobs created here, giving the area an economic lift."
Historical Significance
Over the decades, Coventry Airport has handled freight, light aircraft, and occasional commercial flights. In the 1980s, Hards Travel operated package holiday flights to Spain, France, Italy, and Austria. In 2004, Thomsonfly launched services to popular destinations such as Palma, Valencia, Rome, Nice, Marseille, Naples, Pisa, Venice, and Jersey. Wizz Air also offered flights to Gdańsk and Katowice.
However, on September 1, 2008, Wizz Air confirmed it would not continue its seasonal service from Coventry to Gdańsk and Katowice. Thomsonfly followed suit on October 15, 2008, ceasing operations at Coventry Airport due to a shift in focus toward charter services after its merger with First Choice Airways.
The airport also played host to a historic Papal visit in 1982, when Pope John Paul II toured the UK and drew an estimated 350,000 people to the site.
Ownership Changes
In May 2009, Coventry Airport was put up for sale. Sir Peter Rigby's Rigby Group took over ownership on April 28, 2010, and the airport fully reopened later that year. Now, the site is set to undergo a transformation that will contribute to the UK's green energy ambitions.
