[PeteSpencer]

Death knell for Cambridge airport?

Confirmed airport to close with development for housing : Aerospace will locate to either Cranfield, Wyton or Duxford within the next ten years

Peter

[Bob Upanddown]

"their plans for jobs and homes on the existing airfield"

Looks like it. What a shame.

[flybymike]

The ongoing loss of airfields is becoming critical.

[PaulB]

The ongoing loss of airfields is becoming critical.

Thinking from the UK's perspective, critical to whom?

[TheFarmer]

Exactly.

GA is entirely dispensable and we are lucky it’s lasted this long.

[lobstaboy]

Wyton, Cranfield or Duxford seem to be alternative locations for the Marshalls business. Can't see them being welcome at Duxford. Cranfield too far for employee retention? Wyton ideal imho, and would be suitable for GA and business flyers I guess.

[johnm]

This went round the buoy over 10 years ago. It’s a really bad idea. There is no way that such a development can fit with the Newmarket Road and A14. They’ll need massive infrastructure development, though the planners were convinced that all the new residents would go everywhere by bike and bus when I talked about it last time

[lobstaboy]

This went round the buoy over 10 years ago. It’s a really bad idea. There is no way that such a development can fit with the Newmarket Road and A14. They’ll need massive infrastructure development, though the planners were convinced that all the new residents would go everywhere by bike and bus when I talked about it last time

Totally agree that developing the site is madness. But that doesn't stop Marshalls moving the aerospace business - there are other reasons why that might be a good idea in the long term, for them at least (not so much for the residents and workforce in Cambridge).

[James Chan]

Anyone can move, but it's madness to bring the entire airport with it.

Who is the land being sold to, and who is approving the change of land use to housing?

And is GA going to make representations to keep (part of) it as an airport?

[Freeflight]

Was on the cards for years, but after several years of restructuring upon restructuring, mediocre aerospace division profitability (well, actually losses) and the value of development land creeping ever closer to £10m/hectare, D-day came today.

Won't happen for several years, but 2030 is only a decade away.

The spin though that is being put on this is extraordinary - it's all 'Great day for Cambridge, Great day for Marshall'!!? You have to be kidding? For the loss of an airport that size alone it's a disaster, for the families working there it could be a disaster, depending on where they get relocated to, if they all get relocated that is. They've had a fair few years of culling numbers there periodically.

Why is Mildenhall not on the list? That's being vacated in the next few years and would arguably be a better bet....unless, of course they have no desire at all to run an airport themselves, all they need is some big sheds and lots of office space, they don't need any other aggro that comes with also owning and running an airport.

When do all the Hercs get wound out of service? Unless they've massively diversified by then with some big UK military contracts, they won't need half the space they have today anyway. 90% of overseas military support opportunities want the MRO work done in their own countries, training their own people, not here in the UK. Moves back into the civil sector never worked well for them, profit-wise.

It's a very sad day from the aviation world perspective. A great family business, extraordinary history and capabilities. What it ends up being by 2030 is anyone's guess, but it won't look anything like it looks today and it won't be the same size either.

[Balliol]

I worked there when it was being discussed previously. I suspect they will keep the HQ, design and engineering capabilities but are finally giving in to the pressure to capitalise on the airfield and hangar real estate value. Hands on maint wise, I think they are pretty much down to small numbers of C130 MRO contracts now and I would imagine they will just downsize to a 3/4 bay hangar facility leased on an airfield somewhere. I would be amazed if they would want to invest that much in Wyton to reactivate it.

[PeteSpencer]

May go some way to explaining the lack of training/recruitment/ employment of ATC over the last few years.

Peter

[bilko2]

Perhaps this explains the 24 hour PNR requirement which has probably brought down the number of movements nicely.

[A le Ron]

Where are APPG when you want them?

[WingsOff]

No chance they'll move to Duxford, no space, tiny 1,200m runway, zero nav aids, infrastructure - that's just a decoy to give the locals a warm feeling that they might not have to move homes - unless they buy more adjacent land, extend the runway, unlikely

No chance they'll move to Wyton - who on earth wants to pay to run an airport like that, maintain it all, repair everything, reinstate, reactivate, re-certify to civil standards, no chance, another decoy

Cranfield most likely option, just got outline planning permission for big aviation park, keeps getting loads of grants because of their University status. But on a bad day that's at least 1.5 hours drive from CBG and half the Marshall staff are probably commuting from further up the A14 to the north-east - getting past Cambridge in rush hour is hell - will be even worse with 12,000 new houses!

Much better bet, just strike a deal with MOD and move hangar part of the equation to Brize Norton and keep all back-office, design etc. at Cambridge - that side of equation just needs offices, no runway required. Probably only a third to max half of engineering staff would relocate their families, but they won't need all to migrate anyway.

And what happens after 2022 when the C130s are supposed to be phased out of service?