A popular English hub once visited by Pope John Paul II is to wave off its last ever flight next summer – after Coventry Airport announced it will close permanently next year. The UK Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed in a letter sent to the commercial flight tenants at the site that they must vacate by May 9, with the site closure scheduled for June 11, 2026. It has not flown holiday flights since 2008.

The airport first opened in 1936 and is based just outside the city, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire. A spokesperson from the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: “Coventry Aerodrome has given formal notice to us of its plan to close the airport permanently with effect from June 11, 2026.”

The reason for the closure has not been confirmed at this point.

The site first opened in 1936 as Baginton Aerodrome; however, like many UK airports, it was repurposed as a Royal Air Force base during World War 2.

Dubbed RAF Baginton in WWII, it boasted several training and operational fighter squadrons flying sorties against Hitler’s Luftwaffe bombers.

On November 14, 1940 one infamous raid saw 30,000 incendiary bombs level swathes of the East Midlands city, damaging 41,500 homes – leaving the original cathedral in ruins – and killing 560 people.

After the war, it resumed civilian use and evolved into a passenger and freight hub.

Throughout its history, it has been used for a variety of different types of flight, from freight to smaller aircraft and even at times for commercial holidays.

In the 1950s, scheduled services to the Channel Islands were provided by British United Airways and Jersey Airlines.

Later, several UK charter companies operated leisure flights, including Hards Travel, a firm created by budget holiday pioneer Clifford Hards.

The facility’s commercial presence grew throughout the 20th century, and Air Atlantique acquired the airport’s lease from the city council in the late 1980s.

And it famously enjoyed a Papal visit in 1982 when Pope John II came as part of a tour of the UK, with some 350,000 people descending on the airport to catch a glimpse of his holiness.

In 2004, the airport’s lease was sold to the German travel company TUI AG, resulting in a boost in commercial flight operations. Scheduled flights from Thomsonfly, using two Boeing 737s, commenced, while Wizz Air later began operations to Poland from Coventry.

In 2006, there were 6,151 flights with 862,557 filled passenger seats. In 2007, there were 5,553 flights and 1,012,281 seats, and in 2008, there were 2,973 flights and 554,120 seats.

However, with failed planning applications to expand the passenger facilities still pending, by 2008, Wizz Air and Thomsonfly both ended their services, with the final passenger flight touching down on November 9.

This left the airport with only cargo flights and general aviation services.

The airport was put up for sale in 2009, but with little interest, and a winding-up petition made by HMRC, the airport’s owner (West Midlands Airport Ltd) closed the airport.

Yet swiftly afterwards, the Rigby Group, owned by Sir Peter Rigby, bought Coventry Airport in 2010 and reopened it as a general aviation airport and for flight training.

However, for scheduled passenger services, holidaymakers from Coventry have had to fly from airports such as Birmingham (BHX) and East Midlands (EMA).