4 July 2003
RAF Lyneham is to close by 2012, the Ministry of Defence confirmed today (July 4).
The base will remain open until the RAF’s Hercules heavy lift fleet goes out of service, but will then be sold off, opening up a large chunk of Class D airspace, unless a new use can be found for it. The MoD announced in the summer that the Hercules’ replacement – the A400M – would be based at Brize Norton.
The site has previously been estimated to be worth £11.25 million. It could also be used to host government departments or the army, or as an industrial site or housing development.
The closure is part of a review of airbases for the RAF’s transport and refuelling fleets, which also involved RAF Brize Norton and RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall.
