Cheltenham and Gloucester councils have picked a preferred bidder for Gloucestershire Airport, seven months after the last sale fell through. What we know, and do not.

Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucester City Council have chosen a preferred bidder to buy Gloucestershire Airport. It is the second time they have reached this stage, after the first sale collapsed in March.

The two councils own the airport jointly. Their joint statement, published on 22 October, does not name the company or give a price. It says the bidder “has committed to maintaining Gloucestershire Airport as a thriving centre for aviation”. It also says the bidder will support the businesses based across the site.

The airport is at Staverton, in Tewkesbury borough, about three and a half miles west of Cheltenham town centre.

What the councils said

The sale now moves into due diligence. The councils say that while it runs, all parties are bound by legal and commercial confidentiality, so “no further details about the preferred bidder or the proposed transaction can be released at this time”.

Councillor Rowena Hay, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, called it “excellent news for Gloucestershire”. She said a bidder “committed to maintaining an operational airport” provided “a strong basis for protecting this important regional asset”.

Andy Hearne, Gloucester City Council’s director of place, assets and regeneration, said the airport “is home to many businesses and plays an important role in the area’s economy”.

The second attempt at a sale

The property adviser Savills is running the renewed sale. It also marketed the airport the first time, alongside BPE. The record so far:

Date What happened
October 2024 Airport first marketed for sale
18 June 2025 Preferred bidder recommended to the councils
13 March 2026 Sale to Horizon Aero Group abandoned
30 June 2026 Airport put back on the market, Savills appointed
22 October 2026 New preferred bidder selected

In March the councils said Horizon Aero Group’s terms “had moved significantly away from the original bid prospectus”. Their published FAQs said the group “were unable to provide the financial certainty to complete the sale”.

Why the councils are selling

The councils’ March statement answered this directly. Both have invested in the airport, but “this has not been sufficient to make the business profitable”. They said they must weigh it against their core job of running public services.

In 2025 the councils said the airport needed “a large investment” to keep operating and to expand. At that point they described:

  • a 375-acre site (this week’s statement says 350 acres)
  • two business parks already trading
  • planning consent for a further 30,000 square metres of business space
  • an airfield first established in the 1930s

What it means for you

  • The airport stays open. The councils’ statements since March have said it remains open and day-to-day operations continue while the sale goes through.
  • We do not know who the buyer is. Nor do we know the price, or when the sale could complete. The councils say nothing more can be released during due diligence.
  • Watch for the name. When the councils name the buyer, the key test is the promise in this week’s statement: an operating airport, with the businesses on site supported. We will report it when it is published.
  • This is not the end of the process. The last preferred bidder, chosen in June 2025, was dropped nearly nine months later.