Disused UK airport once busier than Gatwick to restart flights this summer
Commercial flights are going to restart from a long disused airport which was once busier than Gatwick.
London Ashford Airport, also known as Lydd, has not launched any commercial flights since 2018.
That is soon to change once Air Alderney starts operating regular services from the Kent airport this summer.
The small specialist airline will fly from the airfield on Romney Marsh to destinations including the French airport of Le Touquet, Kent Online reports.
It will be one of the quickest ways to get from the UK to France, as Lydd and the seaside town of Le Touqet are just a 15 minute flight from one another.
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The return of flights to the area will be a major boost for an area that was once served by a thriving airport which was the first to be built in the UK post-WWII.
The airport has not been used by passenger flights for years (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)At its peak London Ashford Airport handled 223,000 passengers, 37,000 more than London Gatwick.
David Hainsworth, from airport operator FAL Aviation, said: "Our short, medium and long-term business plan to transform the airport continues at pace.
"Re-organisation of airport operations, and the build of two new hangars, is designed to support existing and new businesses which include engineering services, search and rescue, drone operations, flying schools, government agencies, business jet services and general aviation.
"Air Alderney commence passenger services to Le Touquet and other destinations from summer 2023."
The runway at Lydd is one of the shortest on mainland UK at 1,505m - more than 2,000m less than the two runways at Heathrow.
The airfield is just 15 minutes from France (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)A 300m expansion of the runway was approved 10 years ago, along with a new terminal building, but work has yet to begin on either.
The airport is now operated by London Ashford Airport Ltd, controlled by Saudi businessman Sheikh Fahad Al-Athel.
With a net worth estimated at $2.2 billion he is one of the most powerful men in his country, Kent Live reported.
As part of a £17 million project Mr Al-Athel was given the permission to extend the airport, and transform it into a regional hub capable of accommodating bigger aircraft including Boeing 737s and Airbus 319s, and handling up to 500,000 passengers a year.
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The airstrip is one of the shortest commercial ones in the country (Dover Express)But the plans faced legal challenges with campaigners opposed to the expansion at a site which is close to the Dungeness nuclear plant, an RSPB nature reserve and a military range.
The Lydd Airport Action Group took the expansions plans to the high court, but their bid to block them was thrown out.
Whether or not the expansion does go ahead, and whether the return of commercial flights will impact this, remains to be seen.
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