London Ashford Airport.

[grumpy52]

When did this become a thing ?
I have always known it as Lydd and only saw it referred to as London Ashford very recently .
It's nowhere near London and is not even in Ashford .
I do know of its history as an Air Ferry airport and it features in several films including a James Bond film .
I even applied for a job there 10 yrs or so ago .

[HughG]

We drove past summer 2016 and also commented about the barmy name, so at least that long.

[grumpy52]

I haven't been down that way for about 4 years and as not a lot happens down that way it doesn't pop up in local media .

[hammo19]

I used to live in Ashford.

It’s 79 miles away from London and 17 miles from Ashford. It’s closer to Calais than London.

[Eric Mc]

I visited Lydd for the first time in 2016. I went into the bar. There was no one there - only a barman polishing glasses. I guess its glory days are over.

[Hammer67]

I live about 6 miles from it, under the flight path.
Probly see 6 planes a week.

[grumpy52]

It's a bit bleak down that way unless you like sheep and shingle .
Dungie can be a bit Twilight Zone at night in the sea mist .

[mcdjl]

It can only be a matter of time before we get London Birmingham, then London Manchester and London Inverness airports.

[grumpy52]

The only one that was touted as an alternative for a London airport never had the prefix it was always Manston which later became Kent International.

[kurt535]

Needs grassing up to advertising agency!

[grumpy52]

It's great having time on your hands .
A few minutes of google foo disclosed that Lydd was not the original Ashford airport that was Lympne which had an interesting history until it closed in the 80s .
Life as a pilot or navigator must have been interesting back in the 30s 40s and 50s flying into some of the airports as many were just fields and modern or even rudimentary navigation aids were non existent.

[zombeh]

Eric Mc said:

I visited Lydd for the first time in 2016. I went into the bar. There was no one there - only a barman polishing glasses. I guess its glory days are over.

I believe they were talking about extending the runway to take larger aircraft. My sort of airport is more towards the "slightly shorter cut strip of grass in the middle of a large field" end of things though.

London Ashford Airport is the company that operates it, afaik and according to NATS the airport itself is still called Lydd.

[Nelly9]

Best thing to happen in Lydd...

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/garage-owner...

[LotusOmega375D]

Slightly OT, but one of my recent pet-hates is Luton Airport's rebranding as LLA (= London Luton Airport). Everything there is now marketed as LLA.

What's wrong with LTN?

LLA is actually an airport in Sweden called Lulea. So don't be surprised if your luggage ends up there!

[V41LEY]

We have London Oxford Airport in Kidlington ! So it’s not a new development. Just business / VIP stuff. Shame it doesn’t offer charter stuff.

[48k]

I've flown in there a few times, it's a bit bleak but used to get a nice view of the kart track on take off.

[Sticks.]

Eric Mc said:

I visited Lydd for the first time in 2016. I went into the bar. There was no one there - only a barman polishing glasses. I guess its glory days are over.

Still 'The Biggles Bar' afaik. I think it was already calling itself Lydd London Ashford International in 2010.

[Dr Jekyll]

I remember when new owners bought Halfpenny Green airfield and renamed in 'Wolverhampton business airport'. Everyone started calling it 'Wolverhampton intergalactic spaceport' until the name got changed back again.

[hutchst]

I remember about 30 or so years ago passing through Schipol in Amsterdam and seeing a scheduled arrival from London Norwich on the arrivals board.

[MartG]

Dr Jekyll said:

I remember when new owners bought Halfpenny Green airfield and renamed in 'Wolverhampton business airport'. Everyone started calling it 'Wolverhampton intergalactic spaceport' until the name got changed back again.