UK's 'lost' airport could reopen after being closed for more than a decade

27 January 2023 , 16:21

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UK's 'lost' airport could reopen after being closed for more than a decade

One of the UK's lost airports could be set for take-off again more than a decade after it closed.

Planes at Plymouth Airport were grounded in 2011 after a number of financial and legal complications.

The airport has been disused for more than 11 years since AIM-listed SHG triggered a so-called “Armageddon clause” enabling it to stop flights if the airport was deemed uneconomic.

But in a boost to the local economy, air travel could be re-starting in the near future under new plans.

Plymouth City Council leader Richard Bingley is backing a bid for it to reopen and serve the population of over 300,000.

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Plymouth Airport's gates were locked back in 2011 (Matt Gilley/PlymouthLive)

He has written to business leaders asking for support in bid to reclaim the Derriford site and boost the local area, saying the city is too big to not have its own airport.

The airport issue is very complex and governed by a series of legal and non-disclosure agreements.

But he stressed how important the airport is to the city and its future prosperity.

Now there are growing calls for it to finally re-open (Matt Gilley/PlymouthLive)

He said: “Plymouth as a city needs an airport and no stone will be left unturned until that happens.

“It’s almost disrespectful to not offer an airport to people who want to come here to trade or visit.

“We have clearly stated our current priority is wanting to regain control of the airport site. In doing so we finally can control the issue for the citizens of Plymouth.

The city is too big not to have its own airport, politicians say (Penny Cross / Plymouth Live)

“Whilst I am unable to give precise details I can assure everybody that we have been working extremely hard this year to deliver our objective and are very confident of our position.”

Last year, he warned the council are prepared to take legal action to reclaim the 113-acre land.

He previously said: "I can’t think of any other city with a population of 300,000 that does not have an airport hub."

Plymouth’s business bosses are to be asked to back a council bid to reopen the city’s mothballed airport (Matt Gilley/PlymouthLive)

It had operated the airline Air Southwest from 2003 to 2010 when it was sold to Eastern Airways.

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The redevelopment will enable “needed land for expansion of the neighbouring Derriford Hospital and Plymouth Marjon University”.

It also said the plot would provide sites for businesses and commercial operations and could have housing built on it.

In September 2022 SHG put a price tag of more than £27m on the site.

William Telford