THE UK’s first international airport was forced to closed more than 67 years ago – but there is a way to visit it.
Croydon Airport in Surrey which was originally named London Terminal Aerodrome, first opened on March 29 in 1920.
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The airport was developed for the efforts of World War I and is known as the birthplace of the ‘Mayday’ emergency call when it was created in n 1923 by F.S. Mockford, Croydon’s Senior Radio Officer.
Croydon Airport was even Britain’s main international airport from 1920 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
However, Croydon Airport officially closed on September 30, 1959 as it didn’t have enough space to accommodate the larger, faster aircraft after World War II.
But all of this history can now be explored at the airport site which has since been transformed into a museum inside its former terminal and control tower.
The Croydon Airport Visitor Centre is a volunteer led micro-museum which is open to the public on the first Sunday of every month.
Visitors must book in advance onto a guided tour – which takes around an hour – with free time afterwards to explore the museum without the guide later on.
On Tripadvisor, people praised the attraction, with one calling it a “gem of a place”.
They added: “Guides are very knowledgeable and friendly and the history is still kept alive. Great for young and old alike.”
The next open day will be on June 7, 2026.
Tickets for open days are usually on sale two weeks prior to the event, and you can book in advance on the website. Tickets for adults start from £10 and children from £2.50.
The airport was once home to airlines like Imperial Airways, the predecessor to British Airways.
Passengers could fly from Croydon Airport to European cities like Paris, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Berlin – it then provided long-haul routes to the likes of India, Africa, the Middle East, and even Australia.
Famous faces even used the airport during its heyday including Winston Churchill, who took flying lessons there, and Amy Johnson who took the record-breaking flight to Australia in 1930.
The site was even home to the world’s first airport hotel, the Aerodrome Hotel, with the development costing around £267,000.