Historic UK airport to close after century of service

Dhaka: Coventry Airport, a 90-year-old airfield in central England that once hosted Pope John Paul II and members of the British royal family, will close in June 2026 to make way for a battery gigafactory.

The Civil Aviation Authority said the operator has given formal notice to shut the site on 11 June 2026. Owner Rigby Group said the move is a procedural step tied to its Green Power Park project, approved in 2022.

Opened in 1936 and used as a fighter base during World War Two, the airport has handled military, cargo and passenger flights over the decades and is home to the Midlands Air Museum. Local businesses renting hangars have been told to vacate by June 2026.

The site is part of the West Midlands Investment Zone, which aims to draw manufacturing investment and could attract up to £5.5 billion in funding, authorities say.

Besides, Some locals have mourned the loss of the airport in online commentary, calling for stakeholders to attract more airlines and save the facility. 

Others looking on from abroad see a similar fate in store for smaller regional airports in their areas, such as Antwerp International or Düren, which controversially operates at a loss with subsidies and is seen as superfluous to Brussels Airport. 

But many appear to recognise that Coventry has been superseded by the international hub at nearby Birmingham Airport. 

-B