Ashbourne, Derbyshire, GB 🇬🇧 Closed Airport
ICAO
GB-0099
IATA
-
Elevation
- ft
Region
GB-ENG
Local Time
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 53.006944° N, -1.706944° E
Continent: Europe
Type: Closed Airport
Help fellow travelers by sharing your experience at RAF Ashbourne. Tips are reviewed before publishing.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide recent traveler reviews and experiences for RAF Ashbourne (GB-0099) in the context of an active airport, as RAF Ashbourne is a former Royal Air Force station that ceased operations and closed in 1954. The local code GB-0099 refers to this defunct airport. Consequently, there are no modern traveler reviews regarding terminal facilities, security, customs, or transportation connections as would be expected for an operational airport.
The site of the former RAF Ashbourne has since been redeveloped. The western half is now an industrial estate (appropriately named Airfield Industrial Estate), the northern half was previously a test and demonstration ground for JCB but is now deserted, and the northwestern part is a housing estate. While part of one runway on the southeast side remains usable, with a 2017 document mentioning five aeroplanes based there, this is not indicative of a civilian airport with public travel services.
What Travelers Love (or Historical/Community Interactions):
In summary, RAF Ashbourne (GB-0099) is not an active travel destination or airport, and therefore, there are no recent traveler reviews. Its current status is that of a redeveloped site with industrial, residential, and some disused areas, holding primarily historical interest.
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| Designation | Length | Width | Surface | Status |
|---|
| Type | Description | Frequency |
|---|
1954
Post-WWII military drawdown and surplus to requirements.
The airfield was sold by the Air Ministry in 1954. Today, the site has been completely redeveloped and is known as the Ashbourne Airfield Industrial Estate. It is a large and busy commercial area hosting numerous businesses, warehouses, and industrial units. While the main runways have been removed or built over, the layout of some roads within the industrial estate follows the path of the original perimeter and taxiway tracks. A few original wartime buildings may remain, repurposed for modern use, but the site bears little resemblance to its former state as an active airfield.
Royal Air Force Station Ashbourne (RAF Ashbourne) was a Class A bomber airfield constructed during World War II. It officially opened in June 1942. Its primary role was as a satellite airfield for the nearby RAF Darley Moor. The station was instrumental in the RAF's bomber crew training program. The main unit based at RAF Ashbourne was No. 42 Operational Training Unit (OTU), which was responsible for the final phase of training for night-bomber crews. These crews primarily trained on Vickers Wellington bombers, but the unit also operated aircraft such as the Douglas Boston and Douglas Havoc for various training purposes. The airfield featured three concrete runways, perimeter tracks, and numerous dispersals typical of wartime airfields. Flying operations largely ceased at the end of the war in 1945, after which the site was used by No. 28 Maintenance Unit for storage.
There are no plans or prospects for reopening RAF Ashbourne as an airport. The site has been extensively and permanently redeveloped into a major industrial estate. The original aviation infrastructure, including the runways, has been removed, and the land is now occupied by commercial buildings and roads, making any return to aviation use infeasible.