shutting

A UK airport will cease all flights from today as it winds down for good after operating for 90 years.

The site is earmarked for a multi-billion-pound green energy plant.

Flights from Coventry Airport will officially end today, May 9, and the site is set to permanently close on June 11, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The airport first started life as Baginton Aerodrome in 1936.

It then operated as RAF Baginton during the Second World War and going on to run commercial passenger flights, general aviation and air ambulance services.

Since 2008 though, there have been no scheduled passenger flights, leading to the decision to close the site.

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Plans are now in place to turn the site into a £2.5billion battery factory designed for electric vehicle production, following planning permission approval for Greenpower Park in 2022.

GreenPower Park is expected to create up to 6,000 jobs.

Former regeneration councillor at Coventry City Council Jim O’Boyle previously said: “What we want to see are thousands of jobs created here, giving the area an economic lift.”

Mr O’Boyle, who has served on the council since 2007, lost his seat in the recent local elections to the Green Party.

Passenger flights largely began from Coventry Airport in the 1950s, ferrying passengers to the Channel Islands.

Hards Travel began operating package holiday flights to Spain, France and Italy in the 1980s, and Thomsonfly began operating jet passenger flights in 2004.

In the same year, Wizz Air flew passengers to Gdańsk and Katowice, although these stopped after just four years of operation.

Most recently, the airport had been used for charter flights and training.

This comes after Coventry announced it would close its airport in early December 2025.

A HISTORIC railway station is set to open soon after being reconstructed brick by brick – nine miles from its original location.

The Victorian station was originally built in 1867, but fell into disuse over the last century.

Wansford Road station, near Peterborough, had been facing demolition to make room for the proposed A47 dual carriageway.

However, in 2022 an agreement was reached between Nene Valley Railway (NVR) and National Highways for the building to be dismantled and re-built.

National Highways also granted nearly £200,000 in funding towards the project.

Having been dismantled in April 2024, the limestone station has almost completed its re-location to Peterborough, now under the new name of ‘Woodstone Wharf Station’.

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The historic building will serve as a gateway to both Railworld Wildlife Haven and the NVR, and features a booking office, waiting room and administration office.

Stan Bell, who led the project at The Wansford Road CIO, said: “It’s clear that the building will have a huge rejuvenating impact on this often-forgotten part of Peterborough.

“We’ve been incredibly lucky to have the support of National Highways.”

The original railway served passengers from Stamford to Wansford, although it closed by 1929.

The building was then converted into a private residence, before falling into disrepair.

The £100 million proposal to create a dual carriageway for the A47 was also scrapped in July last year, due to planning complications and rising costs.