RAF Seighford

The final closure to aviation in 2020 occurred because the landowners did not renew the lease for the Staffordshire Gliding Club, the last remaining aviation user. This was to facilitate the site's redevelopment for commercial and industrial purposes, including plans for a large solar farm. The original military closure in the 1950s was a result of the post-World War II downsizing of the UK's armed forces, which made the airfield surplus to military requirements.

The site is no longer an active airfield and is now a privately-owned industrial and commercial zone known as the Seighford Airfield Estate. The original runways and taxiways, while still partially visible, are in a state of decay and are used by the Stafford Driving Centre for driver training and experience days. Several original hangars are used by various businesses for storage and industrial purposes. A significant portion of the site is designated for the development of a large-scale solar farm, and other areas are used for vehicle storage.

RAF Seighford was a significant training base during World War II. Opened in January 1943, it served as a satellite airfield for RAF Hixon. Its primary role was to host No. 30 Operational Training Unit (OTU), which trained multi-engine bomber crews, primarily on Vickers Wellington aircraft, for RAF Bomber Command. It also housed No. 23 (P) Advanced Flying Unit for pilot training on Airspeed Oxfords. After the war, in 1946, the airfield was transferred to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and commissioned as RNAS Seighford (HMS Rupari). In this capacity, it served as an aircraft maintenance and storage yard, handling various naval aircraft like the Supermarine Seafire and Fairey Firefly, until it was placed into 'care and maintenance' in 1957. From 1992 until 2020, it found a new life as the home of the Staffordshire Gliding Club.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening RAF Seighford as an airport. The land is privately owned and is actively being redeveloped for non-aviation purposes. The established industrial estate, the presence of the driving center, and the approved plans for a major solar farm on the former operational areas make a return to aviation activities virtually impossible.