The future of Gloucestershire Airport and the preservation of jobs are at the forefront of council chiefs' minds as they prepare to sell the site next month.
Gloucester City and Cheltenham Borough Council, who jointly own the Staverton-based airport, put it on the market in October last year.
A verdict on the sale of the site, which carries a guide price of £25,000,000, is anticipated at an extraordinary meeting on 26 June.
The entire 350-acre Staverton airport, established in the 1930s, will be sold off.
City leaders have indicated that the two preferred bidders have plans to invest in the operational continuity of the airport.
Leaders from both Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucester City Council, along with officers, recently met with the preferred bidders for a comprehensive discussion at the Guildhall.
Jeremy Hilton, leader of the City Council (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton), informed the authority's annual meeting this week that the sale process is "getting close to its conclusion".
"We are now working out the one we will recommend to full council that we go into a 12 week period of tight negotiations for the preferred bidder to buy Gloucestershire airport," he said.
He also announced that an extraordinary council meeting has been scheduled for 26 June, with a full in-person members briefing planned. Members are invited to attend this council chamber meeting to ask questions about the preferred bid and any details that can be provided.
He added: "All I can say is both of the top bidders were very keen to provide an operational airport and had investment plans for an operational airport into the future.
"We are confident it will see the future of the airport continue and aviation will continue and grow there.
"We also seek jobs to be protected and a lot more created in that sector in the future."
He stated that Cheltenham Borough Council will make a decision before them because its leader has more power over her authority than he has over the City Council.
He expressed his desire for every member of Gloucester City Council to discuss, debate and make a decision on the proposal.
