SHOREAM Airport is the oldest in the UK, when flights first took off more than 100 years ago.
Flights began operating from Shoreham Airport (now known as Brighton City Airport) in 1910, with the airport opening one year later.
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Even though commercial passenger flights from Shoreham Airport no longer operate, visitors can book a tour of the airfield for just a fiver.
The Brighton-based air hub became a centre for flying training before being used by the military during World War One.
Its airfield site was rebuilt in the 1930s, with a new art-deco style terminal building opening.
Shoreham Airport was used by the military for air-sea rescue during World War Two.
In the years that followed, Shoreham Airport remained a hub for aviation activity, with its facilities being improved and expanded in the late 1990s.
Brighton City Airways even operated flights to Pontoise in France from the airport – although services were suspended after two months.
And from 2014 to 2017, the airport hosted a live music festival.
Wild Life music festival – created by Disclosure and Rudimental – had live acts from both George Ezra Mark Ronson, among others.
Nowadays, the airport is a hub for pilot training, with pleasure flights, private jets and chartered helicopters all operating.
The airport is still home to its art-deco terminal building, which is now a listed building.
Even though commercial flights no longer operate, visitors can explore the aviation hub on tours for £5.
The hour-long tours detail the history of the airport, providing details about its construction and history.
Aviation enthusiasts can also visit the airport fire station as well as view resident aircraft in the hangar.
To learn more about the airport’s history, visitors can also browse the onsite museum.
From the earliest pioneers of flying to its role in the Second World War, the museum covers more than 100 years of history.
Brighton City Airport also has an onsite restaurant that boasts stunning views thanks to an outdoor viewing deck.
Located inside the main terminal building, visitors who are not booked onto a flight can dine at the Hummingbird.
The airport has been praised by visitors online, with one person writing: “A fabulous place to visit, full of history and fascinating facts about the evolution of flight.”
Another added: “We were impressed with the wonderful exterior of the Art Deco building, and the clear view across the airport at the back up to the huge church in the distance.”
A third wrote: “It is an exciting place, like stepping back in time to the 30s.”
Here are the UK’s five smallest airports
Based on passenger numbers, here are five of the smallest airports in the United Kingdom:
- Barra Airport (BRR), Scotland
Located in the Outer Hebrides, Barra is famous for having a beach runway where flights are scheduled according to the tides. It is one of the smallest and most unique airports in the world, serving only a few thousand passengers annually. - Land’s End Airport (LEQ), England
Situated in Cornwall, this small airport primarily serves the Isles of Scilly with short flights. It handles only a modest number of passengers each year. - Tiree Airport (TRE), Scotland
Located on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, this small airport provides essential connections to Glasgow and handles minimal passenger traffic. - Campbeltown Airport (CAL), Scotland
Found on the Kintyre Peninsula, Campbeltown Airport has limited scheduled flights, primarily connecting to Glasgow. It is one of the UK’s smallest regional airports. - City of Derry Airport (LDY), Northern Ireland
While larger than the other airports on this list in terms of physical size, City of Derry Airport handles a relatively small number of passengers compared to most UK airports.
Meanwhile, a closed UK airport has revealed plans for five airlines to launch flights ahead of its reopening next year.
And Plymouth Airport – which closed 13 years ago – could also reopen to the public, serving a million passengers a year.
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