Departure
95%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Cambridge City Airport, on the eastern edge of Cambridge and long associated with Marshall Aerospace, offers simulator pilots a well-equipped regional field with full air traffic control, radar and an ILS approach. Its long hard runway and grass secondary strip, combined with proximity to the city centre, make it a useful and interesting stop for VFR and IFR training flights alike.
Cambridge City Airport sits on the eastern outskirts of Cambridge, historically linked to Marshall Aerospace and the wider Marshall Group, which has operated the site for decades. It serves general aviation, business jet traffic and a flying club, and is promoted by its operator as a well-equipped alternative to London's Stansted and Luton airports, with no slot or refuelling restrictions. For the simulator pilot it offers a busy, radar-equipped circuit close to a major city, useful practice for both light aircraft and business jet operations.
The airfield lies close to Greater London, roughly 50 miles distant, and around 30 miles from Stansted and 46 miles from Luton, placing it within a busy area of controlled and regulated airspace typical of south-east England. It is situated on the eastern side of Cambridge, south of Newmarket Road and west of the village of Teversham, about 1.5 nautical miles from the city centre. Full approach and radar services are provided, with Cambridge Approach and Cambridge Radar handling inbound and outbound traffic in the surrounding airspace.
The main runway is orientated 05/23, a hard surface that is lit and equipped with an ILS on the 23 approach; the two ends are listed with slightly different lengths, 5737 ft on runway 05 and 5969 ft on runway 23. A second, shorter runway lies alongside as 05R/23L, a grass surface 3438 ft long and lit. Field elevation is 36 ft.
Cambridge Approach operates on 123.6 MHz, with Cambridge Information available on the ATIS frequency 134.6 MHz. Cambridge Radar can be contacted on 124.975 MHz, and Cambridge Tower on 122.2 MHz. The main runway is served by an instrument landing system, supporting instrument approaches to runway 23, and the airport is described as having full navigational aids and approach radar and communications.
The airfield has long been associated with Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group and with RAF Cambridge, reflecting its wartime and post-war military heritage. In October 2008, coinciding with the opening of the Marshall Business Aviation Centre, the airport was for a time renamed Marshall Airport Cambridge UK before reverting to Cambridge City Airport. A proposal was drawn up in 2000 to relocate the airport away from the city to free up land for housing, and Cambridgeshire County Council pursued planning permission for a new site before withdrawing it. In October 2020, Cranfield University and Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group signed an option agreement covering a potential relocation of the group's operations to Cranfield Airport, though a spokesperson stressed this did not represent a final decision. Homes England and The Hill Group subsequently completed the acquisition of the wider Cambridge East site, including the airport itself, from the Marshall Group.
Cambridge City Airport today combines general aviation training, a flying club offering hands-on flying experience, and a Jet Centre handling business and VIP charter traffic, equine transport and pet travel. The airport maintains Fire Category 4 cover, with the ability to raise this to Category 8 on 24 hours' notice, alongside full air traffic control. Published operational hours are Monday to Friday, 0800 to 1800 local time, with operations outside these hours considered on request through the Jet Centre. Prior permission is required for aircraft movements, to be arranged through Cambridge City Airport air traffic control.
