The potential sale of Gloucestershire Airport is once again under consideration as council leaders from Cheltenham and Gloucester explore various options for the site. The planned disposal of the 375-acre Staverton airport, jointly owned by Gloucester City Council and Cheltenham Borough Council, fell through earlier this year after months of negotiations.
The site had attracted offers exceeding its £25 million asking price. However, the deal collapsed when preferred bidder Horizon Aero Group failed to secure necessary financing after a financial partner withdrew.
The airport currently costs taxpayers around £2.7 million each year, and efforts are underway to reduce its operating expenses. Cheltenham Borough Council leader Rowena Hay views the airport as one of the most urgent challenges facing her authority, and restarting the sale process remains her preferred approach.
"I'm still very firmly of the view that we need to sell," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. She confirmed that active work continues and that they "are going to continue with selling it."
Gloucester City Council leader Jeremy Hilton stopped short of ruling out a future sale but confirmed that no firm decision has yet been reached between the two shareholders. "We are discussing options at the moment," he said. "We will get round to that but we haven't actually firmed any decision yet between the two shareholders.
"That's my position at the moment until we make a decision, that's it. I'm assessing the various details. I'm not ruling anything out at the moment. I have my personal preferences, but I'm not going to declare those at the moment."
He added: "But, we've been making progress. We've appointed a new interim managing director, which I think is a positive move as well. We're looking at various business options to reduce the operating deficit."
Originally known as Staverton Airport when it was built in 1936, the site replaced its predecessor at Down Hatherley Airfield. The two councils established Gloucestershire Airport Limited in 1993 to oversee operations at what has since become the UK's busiest general aviation airport.
It topped the Civil Aviation Authority's rankings for aircraft movements in 2023. The airport has its own fire station and two business parks covering a combined 700,000 square feet. Several prominent aviation firms, including Safran Group, Babcock, and Weston Aviation, are headquartered at the site.
