British airport is closing forever in 2026 as all flights will stop within days

An airport will see its last flight take off next month after 90 years - and will be replaced by a multi-million pound battery site making green energy. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed Coventry Airport will cease operations on June 11 and the last planes will be leaving before that on May 9. The airport is steeped in history having originally been called Baginton Aerodrome when it opened in 1936 and operated as an RAF base during World War II. The decision to close comes with the airport not operating scheduled passenger flights, as it is mainly used for charter flights or training. A spokesperson from the CAA said: "Coventry Aerodrome has given formal notice to us of its plan to close the airport permanently with effect from 11 June 2026." The land is slated for demolition to pave the way for Greenpower Park, a large-scale battery production plant, or “gigafactory,” intended to support the UK’s shift toward electric vehicles. Speaking about the airport's notice to the CAA, the Rigby Group statement said: "This procedural submission, first envisaged when local planning approval for Green Power Park was granted in 2022, enables the next phase of infrastructure work for the site to proceed." Jim O'Boyle, the councillor responsible for jobs and regeneration at Coventry City Council, said: "What we want to see are thousands of jobs created here, giving the area an economic lift." Over the past decades, it has handled freight, light aircraft, and occasional commercial flights. During the 1980s Hards Travel flew travellers to Spain, France, Italy and Austria as part of package holidays. In 2004, Thomsonfly began flights to popular destinations such as Palma, Valencia, Rome, Nice, Marseille, Naples, Pisa, Venice, and Jersey. Wizz Air also flew passengers to Gdańsk and Katowice, reported the Express . However on September 1 2008, Wizz Air confirmed it would not continue its seasonal service from Coventry to Gdańsk and Katowice. In a further setback for the airport, Thomsonfly confirmed on October 15 2008 that it would cease operations at Coventry Airport, citing a shift in focus toward charter services following its merger with First Choice Airways. Coventry Airport also played host to a Papal visit in 1982, when Pope John Paul II toured the UK and drew an estimated 350,000 people to the site. In May 2009, Coventry Airport was put up for sale and Sir Peter Rigby's Rigby Group took over ownership on April 28 2010. It fully reopened later that year.