RAF Hixon

Military rationalisation and downsizing. Following the end of World War II, the UK had a surplus of airfields. RAF Hixon, primarily a wartime training base, was deemed surplus to requirements as part of the nationwide reduction of the armed forces and military infrastructure.

The site is now the Hixon Airfield Industrial Estate, a large and thriving commercial and industrial park. Many of the original airfield buildings, hangars, and sections of the perimeter track and runways have been repurposed as roads and foundations for modern industrial units. The layout of the former airfield is still partially visible from the air. The ICAO code 'GB-0085' is an unofficial identifier, likely used for flight simulation software or historical aviation databases, and does not represent any official, active aviation status.

Royal Air Force Hixon was a wartime airfield that opened in May 1942. It was built as a satellite airfield for the larger RAF Seighford. Its primary role during World War II was as a training facility. It was home to No. 30 Operational Training Unit (OTU), which operated Vickers Wellington bombers to train night bomber crews. After the war, flying operations ceased, and in 1947 the station was taken over by No. 16 Maintenance Unit (MU) for storage and maintenance purposes. The site is also infamous for the Hixon rail crash of January 6, 1968. A 120-ton transformer, being slowly transported from the English Electric factory located on the former airfield, got stuck on an automatic level crossing and was struck by an express train, resulting in 11 fatalities. This event occurred long after the RAF had vacated the site but is a major part of its post-military history.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening RAF Hixon as an airport. The site is heavily developed with industrial and commercial properties, and the original airfield infrastructure is either removed, degraded, or significantly altered. Reconversion to an aviation facility would be economically and logistically unfeasible and is considered highly improbable.