The base closed after the war and reopened in 1947, it became fully operational again in 1952 for Avro Shackeltons in a coastal command role. In 1955 three squadrons of Avro Shackletons were based here. The runway was further enlarged in 1963 to act as a dispersal base for Valiant, Vulcan and Victor ‘V’ Bombers. The last flight left the based in 1971, it was then handed over to the British Army who renamed it Shackleton Barracks. A humorous event took place here in 2006, though not for the Ryan Air flight crew who landed their Airbus on the main runway by mistake, the pilot had been on visual approach and mistook Ballykelly for Eglington Airport (City of Derry) a couple of miles further down the Foyle.

Lining the wall at the far end of the church grounds, a row of military headstones tell their own stories of young men who lost their lives and were associated with the airbase which was operational during WW2.  Young men like G.W. Gerring and W.G. Wallace who were returning from a long maritime patrol over the north-western approaches, on arriving at Ballykelly they found the base and area hidden in thick mist. The Liberator running low on fuel was heard circling overhead, on the third pass it crashed in bad visibility on Binevenagh mountain with the loss of all the crew (Captained by Pilot Officer I B Jenkins, 2nd Pilot: Warrant Officer G.F. Logan; Navigator: W/O R.R.J. Revell; Sgts W.H. Wilson, H.G. Lewis; W/Os G.W. Geering, W.G. Wallace; Flt Sgt H.G. Coombes).