In the shadow of its pre-war glory days, Croydon Airport latterly became a victim of air transport’s insatiable hunger for expansion that would herald its eventual decline. The last of our series spotlight on the history of London’s first true airport leads us to the sole remaining aircraft today
In the shadow of its pre-war glory days, Croydon Airport latterly became a victim of air transport’s insatiable hunger for expansion that would herald its eventual decline. The last of our six-part spotlight on the history of London’s first true airport leads us to its sole remaining aircraft todayAfter the war, as London Airport – later Heathrow – became preeminent and Gatwick Airport to the south emerged as the capital’s secondary gateway, Croydon’s importance for commercial airline traffic waned and it was deserted by the main carriers whose larger modern airliners required longer, concrete runways. In their place, several independent charter and specialist operators sprang up.
