Marshall Aerospace has halted plans to move from its current facilities in Cambridge, England, to Cranfield, England, citing cost concerns.

The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider, which specializes in supporting Lockheed C-130 Hercules fleets, said it will seek alternative options.

Marshall announced in 2020 that Cranfield Airport had been selected as the site for its relocation from Cambridge City Airport, after also examining options at Duxford and Wyton. The company had hoped to complete the move by 2030. But in an Oct. 1 statement, it confirmed that, after analysis, “the proposed location (at Cranfield) is no longer affordable.”

The decision comes after what appears to have been a difficult year for the company’s finances, which the UK’s Companies House published on Sept. 22. Marshall Aerospace suffered post-tax losses of £10 million ($13 million), in part because of the loss of contract work with the Royal Air Force after the service decided to withdraw the Lockheed C-130J Hercules fleet from service. The slow pace of selling those airframes to the Turkish Air Force also impacted the bottom line.

The company has managed to offset some of the losses from RAF contracts by selling its C-130 MRO services to other nations in Europe and the Middle East.

Marshall signed an agreement with Cranfield University in October 2020 and secured planning permission for new infrastructure from local authorities in April 2023. Marshall says it is now seeking to secure the long-term future of the business, and the company is “actively exploring” alternative sites but has not said when it might vacate its current site.Dame Karen Holford, chief executive and vice chancellor of Cranfield University, said Marshall’s decision was not the outcome the university wanted.

“The land proposed for development retains longstanding planning permission and we are actively exploring other options for the site,” she said.

Near the village of Teversham, Cambridge City Airport is due to be sold off to developers to enable the construction of a new neighborhood, known as Cambridge East, which, according to local authorities, has potential for about 10,000 to 12,000 homes.

Established in 1909, Marshall is best known for its work supporting the RAF fleet of C-130 Hercules airlifters. But it also converted former commercial Lockheed L-1011 TriStar aircraft into aerial refueling tankers. Marshall also developed and built the droop nose for the supersonic Concorde.

More recently, the company converted two Global 6000 business jets into communications intelligence-gathering platforms for the United Arab Emirates.