Coventry Airport
Encyclopedia
Coventry Airport is located 3 NM south southeast of Coventry
city centre, in the village of Baginton
, Warwickshire
, England
, and about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) outside Coventry boundaries. The airport is owned by Patriot Aviation Group, and has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P902) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee, Coventry Airport Limited.
First opened in 1936 as Baginton Aerodrome, Coventry Airport has been used for general aviation
, flight training, and commercial freight and passenger flights, as well as being a World War II
fighter base. In 1994-5, it became a focus for animal rights
campaigners who protested at the export of live animals from the airport as freight. In 1982, Pope John Paul II
celebrated Mass with a crowd of around 350,000 on his only UK visit. From 2004-8, Thomsonfly
operated scheduled jet passenger flights from temporary hub facilities at Coventry. A controversial plan to build permanent passenger terminal facilities was rejected by the High Court in 2007. Following financial problems, the airport was briefly closed in 2009, before re-opening as a commercial airport in 2010.
, aircraft manufacturers based nearby at Whitley Aerodrome
, built an aircraft factory on the airport site soon afterwards.
During World War II
the airport was utilised as a fighter station, RAF Baginton, by the Royal Air Force
. It was damaged in the 1940 Coventry Blitz
bombing raid by the Luftwaffe
.
After the war the airport was returned to civil use as a passenger and freight terminal. In the 1950s Jersey Airlines
operated De Havilland Heron
and Douglas Dakota aircraft on services to the Channel Islands
. In the 1960s British United Airways
flew Dakota, Carvair (which also carried passengers' cars) and Handley Page Heralds to the Channel Islands. During the 1980s West Midlands based travel agents Hards Travel started using the Airport with its Viscount
and Dart Herald aircraft for holidays to Spain
, Italy
and Austria
, flying to Beauvais
in France
and Ostend Airport, operating under the Janus Airways banner. The holiday brands they used were Summer-Plan, and HTS Holidays.
In the late-1980s, Coventry City Council sold the airport lease to Air Atlantique
.
visited the airport on 30 May 1982 as part of his six-day visit to Britain. He arrived in a gold and blue British Caledonian
helicopter, and just after 10.00 a.m. he set off in a popemobile
from the helipad to visit a crowd of about 350,000 people. He celebrated Mass and administered the sacrament of confirmation, and there was a carnival when he had lunch. He left in the helicopter at about 3.15 p.m.
calves were exported from Coventry Airport to Amsterdam
for distribution across Europe, and the locality became a focus for animal rights
demonstrators. On 21 December 1994 Air Algérie Flight 702P
, a Boeing 737
, used for exporting calves crashed in Willenhall Wood, Willenhall, Coventry
near to houses, on approach to the airport in bad weather, and all five people on board were killed. The aircraft was owned by Air Algerie
and on lease to Phoenix Aviation
. On 1 February 1995, Jill Phipps
, an animal rights activist aged 31 years, was crushed to death under the wheels of a lorry carrying live veal calves into Coventry Airport.
, who started scheduled international flights from a temporary passenger terminal building in March 2004 under the brand Thomsonfly
using two Boeing 737
s. The operation drew vociferous opposition from environmental campaigners, some local residents and Warwick District Council
, but was supported by Coventry City Council. Warwick District Council unsuccessfully sought an injunction to stop flights, claiming that the temporary facilities were built without planning permission
. Flights expanded through the following years, while the airport sought planning permission for a permanent passenger terminal and facilities. Thomsonfly expanded operations with more European flights and up to six aircraft based at the airport, while WizzAir also began regular flights to Poland
.
After planning permission for a permanent passenger terminal was initially denied by Warwick District Council in 2004, two public inquiries took place, followed by an unsuccessful appeal by the airport owners to the UK government planning inspectorate, and finally to the High Court
in 2008. The planning battle affected the confidence of flight operators. On 1 September 2008, Wizz Air
confirmed they would not continue their seasonal service from Coventry
to Gdansk
and Katowice
. On 15 October 2008, Thomsonfly confirmed that they would cease operations at Coventry Airport, citing their increased focus on charter services after their the merger with First Choice Airways
. Scheduled passenger flights from Coventry ended on 9 November 2008. The airport continued with cargo operations, and was a base for executive jet services, general aviation and flight training, and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance
.
security, and also Air Traffic Control
to Marshall Aerospace
. On 1 December 2009, it was reported that a petition was made by HM Revenue & Customs in the High Court to wind up the company, to the concern of local businesses. A hearing was due to take place at London’s Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday, 9 December 2009. On 8 December 2009, the CAA closed the airport with immediate effect, filing of a Notice to Airmen withdrawing its operating licence. All commercial flying and flight training was suspended, although the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance continued to use the airport as a base. The airport re-opened as an unlicensed airfield the following week, without air traffic control, to private traffic.
A Swiss firm announced its interest in acquiring the airport in early 2010, but did not conclude a bid. Sir Peter Rigby's Patriot Aviation group took over ownership of Coventry Airport on 28 April, and it was fully re-opened in summer 2010. As of June 2010, Air Traffic Control services at Coventry have been provided by SERCO.
planned visit to Britain in September 2010 it was announced that the centrepiece of the visit, the Beatification
of Cardinal John Henry Newman, would take place on 19 September at the airport, following the success of the 1982 visit of Pope John Paul II
. However, it was subsequently announced in June 2010 that the preferred venue had changed to the smaller Cofton Park
, in Birmingham
.
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
city centre, in the village of Baginton
Baginton
Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry of the West Midlands county. With a population of 801 , Baginton village is four miles south of Coventry city centre and seven miles north of...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) outside Coventry boundaries. The airport is owned by Patriot Aviation Group, and has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P902) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee, Coventry Airport Limited.
First opened in 1936 as Baginton Aerodrome, Coventry Airport has been used for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, flight training, and commercial freight and passenger flights, as well as being a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fighter base. In 1994-5, it became a focus for animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
campaigners who protested at the export of live animals from the airport as freight. In 1982, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
celebrated Mass with a crowd of around 350,000 on his only UK visit. From 2004-8, Thomsonfly
Thomsonfly
Thomsonfly was a British airline, previously known as Britannia and a business within TUI UK prior to September 2007. Following TUI UK merging with First Choice Holidays in September 2007 it became part of TUI Travel PLC...
operated scheduled jet passenger flights from temporary hub facilities at Coventry. A controversial plan to build permanent passenger terminal facilities was rejected by the High Court in 2007. Following financial problems, the airport was briefly closed in 2009, before re-opening as a commercial airport in 2010.
Creation and growth
In 1933 Coventry City Council decided to develop a civic airport on land that they owned to the south-east of the city in Baginton. Coventry Airport was opened in 1936. Armstrong WhitworthArmstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
, aircraft manufacturers based nearby at Whitley Aerodrome
Whitley plant
The Whitley plant, situated in Whitley, Coventry in the West Midlands of England, is one of the engineering centres of Jaguar Land Rover and the headquarters of Jaguar Cars...
, built an aircraft factory on the airport site soon afterwards.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the airport was utilised as a fighter station, RAF Baginton, by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. It was damaged in the 1940 Coventry Blitz
Coventry Blitz
The Coventry blitz was a series of bombing raids that took place in the English city of Coventry. The city was bombed many times during the Second World War by the German Air Force...
bombing raid by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
.
After the war the airport was returned to civil use as a passenger and freight terminal. In the 1950s Jersey Airlines
Jersey Airlines
Jersey Airlines was an early post-World War II private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations British airline formed in 1948. In 1952, the airline operated its first scheduled service. Four years later, British European Airways took a 25% minority stake in Jersey Airlines and...
operated De Havilland Heron
De Havilland Heron
The de Havilland DH.114 Heron was a small, propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on 10 May 1950. It was a development of the twin-engine de Havilland Dove, with a stretched fuselage and two more engines. It was designed as a rugged, conventional low-wing monoplane with tricycle...
and Douglas Dakota aircraft on services to the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. In the 1960s British United Airways
British United Airways
British United Airways was a private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations British airline formed as a result of the merger of Airwork Services and Hunting-Clan Air Transport in July 1960, making it the largest wholly private airline based in the United Kingdom at the time...
flew Dakota, Carvair (which also carried passengers' cars) and Handley Page Heralds to the Channel Islands. During the 1980s West Midlands based travel agents Hards Travel started using the Airport with its Viscount
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
and Dart Herald aircraft for holidays to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, flying to Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Ostend Airport, operating under the Janus Airways banner. The holiday brands they used were Summer-Plan, and HTS Holidays.
In the late-1980s, Coventry City Council sold the airport lease to Air Atlantique
Air Atlantique
Air Atlantique is an airline based in Coventry, United Kingdom. It has as a wet lease operation using ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft. Its main base is Coventry Airport.- History :...
.
Papal visit
Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
visited the airport on 30 May 1982 as part of his six-day visit to Britain. He arrived in a gold and blue British Caledonian
British Caledonian
British Caledonian was a private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline, operating out of Gatwick Airport in the 1970s and 1980s...
helicopter, and just after 10.00 a.m. he set off in a popemobile
Popemobile
Popemobile is an informal name for the specially designed motor vehicles used by the pope during outdoor public appearances without having to employ the antiquated and often impractical sedia gestatoria. The Popemobile was designed to allow the pope to be more visible when greeting large crowds...
from the helipad to visit a crowd of about 350,000 people. He celebrated Mass and administered the sacrament of confirmation, and there was a carnival when he had lunch. He left in the helicopter at about 3.15 p.m.
Live veal calf export
From 5 November 1994 to 4 May 1995 live vealVeal
Veal is the meat of young cattle , as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds...
calves were exported from Coventry Airport to Amsterdam
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ) is the Netherlands' main international airport, located 20 minutes southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The airport's official English name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, reflects the original Dutch word order...
for distribution across Europe, and the locality became a focus for animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
demonstrators. On 21 December 1994 Air Algérie Flight 702P
Air Algérie Flight 702P
Air Algérie/Phoenix Flight 702P, ship name Oasis, registration 7T-VEE, was a Boeing 737 owned by Air Algérie and leased by Phoenix Aviation which crashed on 21 December 1994 on landing at Coventry Airport, United Kingdom...
, a Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
, used for exporting calves crashed in Willenhall Wood, Willenhall, Coventry
Willenhall, Coventry
Willenhall is a suburb of Coventry in the West Midlands of England.Willenhall is in the south-east of the city adjacent to the suburbs of Binley, Ernesford Grange and Whitley...
near to houses, on approach to the airport in bad weather, and all five people on board were killed. The aircraft was owned by Air Algerie
Air Algérie
Air Algérie SpA is the national flag carrier airline of Algeria, with its head office in the Immeuble El-Djazair in Algiers. With flights operating from Houari Boumedienne Airport, Air Algérie operates scheduled international services to 39 destinations in 28 countries in Europe, North America,...
and on lease to Phoenix Aviation
Phoenix Aviation
Phoenix Aviation was an airline based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was established and started operations in 1996 and operated passenger and freight services...
. On 1 February 1995, Jill Phipps
Jill Phipps
Jill Phipps was a British animal rights activist who was crushed to death in Baginton, Warwickshire, England by a lorry transporting live veal calves heading for continental Europe via Coventry Airport.-Background:...
, an animal rights activist aged 31 years, was crushed to death under the wheels of a lorry carrying live veal calves into Coventry Airport.
Scheduled jet flights
In February 2004 the airport lease was sold to TUI AGTUI AG
TUI AG is a German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hanover. Until 2001 it was an industrial and transportation company named Preussag AG, which in the mid-1990s decided to reinvent itself as a tourism, shipping, and logistics company...
, who started scheduled international flights from a temporary passenger terminal building in March 2004 under the brand Thomsonfly
Thomsonfly
Thomsonfly was a British airline, previously known as Britannia and a business within TUI UK prior to September 2007. Following TUI UK merging with First Choice Holidays in September 2007 it became part of TUI Travel PLC...
using two Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s. The operation drew vociferous opposition from environmental campaigners, some local residents and Warwick District Council
Warwick (district)
Warwick is a local government district of central Warwickshire in England. The current leader of the district council is Conservative Party member Michael Doody. The council is currently controlled by the Conservative group, who hold 23 of the 46 council seats...
, but was supported by Coventry City Council. Warwick District Council unsuccessfully sought an injunction to stop flights, claiming that the temporary facilities were built without planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
. Flights expanded through the following years, while the airport sought planning permission for a permanent passenger terminal and facilities. Thomsonfly expanded operations with more European flights and up to six aircraft based at the airport, while WizzAir also began regular flights to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
After planning permission for a permanent passenger terminal was initially denied by Warwick District Council in 2004, two public inquiries took place, followed by an unsuccessful appeal by the airport owners to the UK government planning inspectorate, and finally to the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
in 2008. The planning battle affected the confidence of flight operators. On 1 September 2008, Wizz Air
Wizz Air
Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Kft. is a Hungarian low-cost airline with headquarters in the Airport Business Park C2 in Vecsés, close to Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, Hungary. The airline typically uses secondary airports serving many cities across Europe.- History :The airline was...
confirmed they would not continue their seasonal service from Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
to Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
and Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
. On 15 October 2008, Thomsonfly confirmed that they would cease operations at Coventry Airport, citing their increased focus on charter services after their the merger with First Choice Airways
First Choice Airways
First Choice Airways was a British charter airline of European tour operator TUI Travel PLC, based in Crawley, England. It flew to more than 60 destinations worldwide from 14 UK and Irish airports. 70% of the airline's services were operated for its parent company, rising to 85% in the summer...
. Scheduled passenger flights from Coventry ended on 9 November 2008. The airport continued with cargo operations, and was a base for executive jet services, general aviation and flight training, and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
.
Closure and sale
In May 2009, Coventry Airport was put up for sale. The owners outsourcedOutsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
security, and also Air Traffic Control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
to Marshall Aerospace
Marshall Aerospace
The Marshall companies have been internationally associated with aerospace engineering for nearly a century. The company employs over 1,800 people and is based on an site with of covered hangar space...
. On 1 December 2009, it was reported that a petition was made by HM Revenue & Customs in the High Court to wind up the company, to the concern of local businesses. A hearing was due to take place at London’s Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday, 9 December 2009. On 8 December 2009, the CAA closed the airport with immediate effect, filing of a Notice to Airmen withdrawing its operating licence. All commercial flying and flight training was suspended, although the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance continued to use the airport as a base. The airport re-opened as an unlicensed airfield the following week, without air traffic control, to private traffic.
A Swiss firm announced its interest in acquiring the airport in early 2010, but did not conclude a bid. Sir Peter Rigby's Patriot Aviation group took over ownership of Coventry Airport on 28 April, and it was fully re-opened in summer 2010. As of June 2010, Air Traffic Control services at Coventry have been provided by SERCO.
Cancelled second Papal visit
As part of Pope Benedict XVI'sPope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
planned visit to Britain in September 2010 it was announced that the centrepiece of the visit, the Beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
of Cardinal John Henry Newman, would take place on 19 September at the airport, following the success of the 1982 visit of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. However, it was subsequently announced in June 2010 that the preferred venue had changed to the smaller Cofton Park
Cofton Park
Cofton Park is a park located in south Birmingham, England.-History:The 135 acres of land land was acquired by Birmingham City Council in 1933 for £10,640 , from the trustees for William Walter Hinde...
, in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Cargo
Accidents and incidents
- On 15 April 1969, Douglas DC-3DDouglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
N4296 of Aviation Enterprises was destroyed by fire at Baginton Airport. - On 21 December 1994 a Phoenix AviationPhoenix AviationPhoenix Aviation was an airline based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was established and started operations in 1996 and operated passenger and freight services...
Boeing 737Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft crashed in Willenhall WoodWillenhall, CoventryWillenhall is a suburb of Coventry in the West Midlands of England.Willenhall is in the south-east of the city adjacent to the suburbs of Binley, Ernesford Grange and Whitley...
on approach to Coventry. Five crew were killed. - On 17 August 2008, five people were killed when two light aircraft collided on their final approach into Coventry Airport. The aircraft involved were a Cessna 402Cessna 402The Cessna 401 and 402 are series of 6 to 10 place, light twin, piston engine aircraft. This line was manufactured by Cessna from 1966 to 1985 under the name Utiliner and Businessliner...
C and a Rand KR-2.