Oxford Airport, located at Kidlington (just north of the “Dreaming Spires” of the famous university town), has continued to experience growth in business aviation traffic. An 11-percent increase in business traffic during 2012, up from 6,913 movements in 2011 to 7,761, has also contributed to a 13-percent rise in jet fuel sales. This traffic increase has cemented Oxford’s position as the London region’s fifth busiest business destination and the fastest growing. While the region as a whole showed no appreciable overall change during the 2012 Olympic Games, Oxford did pick up some additional traffic.
Just before EBACE the UK CAA signed off on Oxford’s new primary and secondary radar system, a £4.5 million ($7 million) program that is emblematic of the renewal process at the airport. The new radar has “transformed the airport,” according to business development director James Dillon-Godfray. A £900,000 ($1.3 million) communications refit is also being undertaken, while the last sections of World War II-era apron are being replaced to accommodate more intensive operations by heavier aircraft. In 2011 the licensed takeoff length of the runway was increased to allow higher-weight operations by long-range aircraft such as the Bombardier Global Express, two of which are now based at Oxford as part of Hangar8’s operation.
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