Coventry Airport
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Coventry Airport |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: CVT – ICAO: EGBE | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | TUI AG | ||
| Operator | West Midlands International Airport Ltd. | ||
| Serves | Coventry | ||
| Location | Baginton | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 267 ft / 81 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 05/23 | 2,008 | 6,586 | Asphalt |
| Source: UK AIP at NATS | |||
Coventry Airport (IATA: CVT, ICAO: EGBE) is located about 8 km south of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England, and about 1 km outside Coventry boundaries. Coventry Airport is a main hub for Thomsonfly. The airport is owned by the CAFCO-C, and in June 2007 had its application to build permanent terminal and passenger facilities turned down by the UK government.
Coventry Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P834) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (West Midlands International Airport Limited trading as Coventry Airport).[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1933 Coventry City Council decided to develop a civic airport on land that they owned to the south-east of the city in Baginton. Coventry Airport was opened in 1936. Armstrong Whitworth, aircraft manufacturers based nearby at Whitley Aerodrome, built an aircraft factory on the airport site soon afterwards.
During World War II the airport was utilised as a fighter station, RAF Baginton, by the Royal Air Force, and was damaged in the Luftwaffe bombing of Coventry in 1940.
After the war the airport was returned to civil use as a passenger and freight terminal. In the 1950s Jersey Airlines operated De Havilland Heron and Douglas Dakota aircraft on services to the Channel Islands.[2] In the 1960s British United Airways flew Dakota, Carvair (which also carried passengers' cars) and Handley Page Heralds to the Channel Islands.[3]
[edit] Lease
In late-1980s, Coventry City Council sold the airport lease to Air Atlantique.
In February 2004 the lease was sold to TUI AG, who started scheduled flights from the airport in March 2004 under the brand Thomsonfly. The new service was controversial because it operated out of new temporary passenger facilities built without planning permission. Warwick District Council lost a court action in which it attempted to get an injunction against Thomsonfly. The result was that the service was allowed to continue.[4]
[edit] Papal visit
Pope John Paul II visited the airport on 30 May 1982 as part of his six-day visit to Britain. He arrived in a gold and blue helicopter, and just after 10.00am he set off in a popemobile from the helipad to visit a crowd of about 350,000 people. He gave a sacrament, and there was a carnival when he had lunch. He left in the helicopter at about 3.15pm.[5]
[edit] Live veal calf export
From 5 November 1994 to 4 May 1995 live veal calves were exported from Coventry Airport to Amsterdam for distribution across Europe, and the locality became a focus for animal rights demonstrators. On 21 December 1994 Air Algérie Flight 702P, a Boeing 737, used for exporting calves crashed in Willenhall Wood, Willenhall, Coventry near to houses, on approach to the airport in bad weather, and all 5 people on board were killed.[6] The aircraft was owned by Air Algerie and on lease to Phoenix Aviation. On 1 February 1995, Jill Phipps, an animal rights activist aged 31 years, was crushed to death under the wheels of a lorry carrying live veal calves into Coventry Airport.[7]
[edit] Expansion plans
A second Public Local Inquiry to determine a planning application for a 10,000 m² permanent modern terminal for up to 2 million passengers per annum ended in July 2006. The result of the enquiry was a rejection of the plan, as announced on Friday 15 June 2007.[8] Coventry Airport is located only 21 km (13 miles) from Birmingham International Airport.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
[edit] Scheduled
- Thomsonfly (Alicante, Corfu [begins 1 May 2009, seasonal], Faro, Grenoble, Jersey, Mahon [begins 6 May 2009, seasonal], Málaga, Monastir [begins 6 May 2009, seasonal], Palma de Mallorca, Salzburg, Zakynthos [begins 4 May 2009, seasonal])
- Wizz Air (Katowice)
[edit] Gallery
 Planes on the ground |
 A Thomsonfly Boeing 737 landing |
 Control tower |
 Radar equipment |
[edit] References
- ^ Civil Aviation Authority Aerodrome Ordinary Licences
- ^ Baginton (Coventry) airport History-page 2.
- ^ Baginton-Coventry airport.
- ^ "Council drops airport court case", BBC, 2004-06-18.
- ^ Douglas, Alton (February 1991). Coventry: A Century of News. Coventry Evening Telegraph, pp. 114–115. ISBN 0902464361.
- ^ "Aeroplane crash dead remembered", BBC, 2004-12-21.
- ^ "Live exports that sparked protests", BBC. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ "Passenger terminal plan rejected", BBC, 2007-06-15.
(1983). "A Visitor's Guide to the Midland Air Museum". . Midland Air Museum
[edit] External links
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