Celebrating 90 Years of London’s Second Airport

Charting the history of Gatwick Airport in photographs

In 1930, an aerodrome was built in rural Surrey, sandwiched between two farms and adjacent to a racecourse. In 1936, after growing from strength to strength, Gatwick Airport was officially opened by the Secretary of State for Air.

Since its second runway opened in 1958, Gatwick has officially been London’s second airport: if you wanted a package holiday throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, you would often fly from here on charter airlines that operated a multitude of aircraft types to destinations worldwide. This variety made spectator visits fascinating for plane spotters, who were well catered for with viewing piers that very closely overlooked the parked airliners.

From its pre-war construction days to the hustle and bustle of today, Gatwick in Photographs charts the airport’s history through its aircraft in glorious full colour.