Story ID: 457
Cambridge Airport To Close by 2030
By: David Donald
Caption: Marshall Aerospace, which has operated at Cambridge International Airport since the 1930s, provides business aviation MRO there.
Word Count: 371
Cambridge International Airport is slated to close by 2030, with airport operator Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group looking to relocate its major engineering operations to a new site, the company said in May. Marshall opened the airport in 1937 at Teversham and has continuously operated the airfield there.

“It is still very early days, but we know that finding the right airfield location that will give us the necessary space and flexibility to support our planned growth, which is close enough to Cambridge to enable us to retain and attract talent, will be a complex and time-consuming task,” said Alistair McPhee, Marshall ADG’s chief executive. “At this stage, we have a number of potential locations in mind but are still some way away from making any definitive decisions.”

Cranfield, Duxford, and Wyton are the preferred options, McPhee said, adding, “We will work with all three locations over the coming months to further assess their feasibility.”

Marshall conducts business jet MRO work at Cambridge, including the modification of special-mission Bombardier Globals, and also hosts an ExecuJet FBO and ground handling service. Business aviation traffic has grown at Cambridge in recent years, serving not only the city itself—a global center for technological innovation—but also the nearby horse-racing center of Newmarket. The financial district of London is around an hour’s drive away, and a helicopter interlining service is available. The future of this business aviation element of Cambridge’s activities has not been disclosed.

In the meantime, the company continues to invest in its Cambridge MRO facility, with £30 million ($38.2 million) earmarked for infrastructure investment over the next five years. The Cambridge airport site is being proposed for development under the city’s local plan from 2030.

Established as Marshall of Cambridge in 1909, the company began operations in the motor trade but opened a flying school at an airfield known as Fen Ditton in 1929. Modification and repair work began soon after, leading to today’s business at the Teversham site, which includes a specialty in large aircraft such as the Lockheed Hercules, and major MRO, engineering development and production contracts for the UK Ministry of Defence and 15 overseas air arms.
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