Cotswold Airport, UK: A New Venue for AeroExpo & RotorTech.

The airport manager provided a brief overview of Cotswold Airport, our new venue for 2022.

A Gloucestershire airfield steeped in history, Kemble Aerodrome (Cotswold Airport) is now home to a growing Business Aviation and General Aviation (GA) community and a host of successful aviation businesses.

Kemble Air Services Ltd, the owners of Cotswold Airport, is totally committed to making it one of the finest airfields in the country without spoiling the natural charm that abounds on this 532-acre site. The airport enjoys major road and rail connections to London and north and south; it is the aviation gateway to the Cotswolds and wider south-west England.

Best known to many people as the former base of the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team, the airport has grown considerably over the past few years and since its transformation into a civilian airport in 2001.

It’s a unique airport; you can see everything operating from microlights and lightweight helicopters to larger airliners and commercial helicopters. It’s well-known for the airliner storage and maintenance activities of two of our tenants, Air Salvage International and GCAM, while its core activity is serving a growing business and charter jet market — while remaining a thriving GA airport with six based flying schools as well as being a prime location for visiting GA pilots.

More recently, investment has seen an increase in aviation innovation at the airport, from cutting-edge technology aerospace companies, such as ZeroAvia, to hypersonic jet engine testing and fully synthetic aviation fuel testing.

In terms of operational capability, the airport enjoys a 1972m runway, with RNP instrument approach procedures to both runway 08 and 26 (see our UK AIP entry).

We have also just resurfaced our main runway, reopened our AV8 Café, and positioned our unique ex British Airways Boeing 747-436 G-CIVB ‘Negus’ on a purpose-built pad behind the control tower, and next to the AV8 car park. The 747 will shortly be available for events and film hire.

Visit Costwold Airport Website.