20 July 2026
One of Britain’s best-known former RAF airfields has been put up for sale, with Kirkbride Airfield in Cumbria available for a guide price of £1.5 million.
The sale includes around 160.8 acres of land, substantial sections of the historic runways and taxiways, a control tower, clubhouse, hangar, helipad and an established aviation fuel business, making it one of the most significant general aviation properties to come onto the market in recent years.
The RAF tower is still at Kirkbride Airfield
Joint agents Savills and Hope’s Land Agency describe the site as offering opportunities for aviation alongside commercial, logistics, storage and leisure uses, subject to planning consent. The property currently generates around £60,000 a year from a mixture of aircraft storage, fuel sales, landing fees, agricultural licences and events.
For pilots, the aviation infrastructure is the obvious attraction. The sale includes the principal runway, although two short sections remain leased from neighbouring landowners to complete its full operational length. A secondary runway is partly grassed over and is currently used for model flying, storage and events. A modern steel-framed hangar sits alongside the restored control tower, which now provides office, meeting and clubhouse facilities.
New – and old – hangars are part of the sale
RAF Kirkbride opened in June 1939 as an aircraft repair depot, chosen because it lay well away from the expected threat of enemy bombers. After the Second World War it became a maintenance and disposal unit for surplus military aircraft before finally closing in 1960.
Since then, parts of the site have continued in aviation use while also hosting motorsport events, demonstrations and agricultural activities. Around 128 acres of the holding comprise productive grassland and arable land, with the remainder occupied by runways, buildings and permanent pasture.
The freehold is being offered for sale by private treaty, with offers for part of the site also being considered. The agents say the property is being sold without overage or clawback restrictions, potentially making it attractive to investors as well as aviation businesses.
Question is: will the next owner keep Kirkbride open for aviation?
For the GA community, however, the biggest question will be whether Kirkbride’s next owner chooses to build on its aviation heritage.
With an operational runway, fuel sales, hangarage and one of the UK’s more recognisable wartime control towers, the site represents a rare opportunity to acquire an established airfield rather than starting from scratch.
