Coventry Airport Expansion

Thomsonfly started scheduled passenger flights from Coventry Airport in March 2004 and it has announced their termination in November 2008. During this period another airline – Wizzair – has also come and gone.

What are the facts behind this? There are two main aspects: planning permission and commercial realities.

Coventry Airport built a temporary passenger terminal for the start of Thomsonfly flights but the local planning authority considered this to be unauthorised development. This led to a Public Inquiry in 2005. Eventually the Government decided that the terminal was unlawful but it granted planning permission retrospectively for up to 980,000 passengers a year. Planning conditions and obligations became effective with this approval, requiring Coventry Airport to take specified actions while the passenger terminal is in operation.

Coventry Airport also applied for planning permission for a much larger passenger terminal to handle, it said, 2 million passengers a year.

Another Public Inquiry was held in 2006 and this time the Government eventually refused planning permission. The major reasons for refusal were:

• Sustainability. The proposal did not represent a sustainable form of development because of its duplication of services at nearby Birmingham Airport, poor public transport accessibility and pollution. A key factor was that obligations were already in place through the planning approval for the existing terminal and the extra obligations proposed for a larger terminal were deemed insufficient to offset the damage caused.
• Noise impact on local residents would cause significant loss of amenity.
• Conflict with the development plan.
• Doubt whether the proposal would be best use of airport infrastructure as required by Government policy.

In 2008, the airport operator challenged the Government’s decision in the High Court, but the Court ruled in favour of the Government on all 18 grounds contested.

While the long planning and legal tussles were taking place, Thomson and First Choice merged and the combined holiday company decided to refocus on holiday flights rather than scheduled passenger services. Shortly after the High Court decision, Thomsonfly announced the termination of its services from Coventry.

The management of Coventry Airport has expressed its wish to see alternative passenger airlines operate from the airport. They have also indicated their wish to expand business aviation and night-time freight operations. Such forms of expansion might not require planning permission providing they comply with planning obligations.

Coventry Airport is operated by West Midlands International Airport Ltd (WMIAL) which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Howard Holdings plc. The local planning authority for Coventry Airport is Warwick District Council (WDC). The freehold of Coventry Airport is owned by Coventry City Council (CCC).