East Midlands Airport
Nottingham, Leicestershire · United Kingdom · Europe/London
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Airport HistoryEst. 1965
East Midlands Airport traces its origins to RAF Castle Donington, a Second World War training airfield that closed in 1946 and was later redeveloped by local councils into a civilian passenger airport opening in 1965. Ownership passed from public authorities to National Express and then to Manchester Airports Group, while the airport built a distinct identity as the UK's number-two cargo airport after Heathrow, anchored by DHL, UPS, and major integrator operations. It also became a key base for low-cost carriers Jet2.com and Ryanair.
The site opens as RAF Castle Donington, a wartime training airfield with three concrete runways used by RAF Bomber Command and transport training units; it closes in 1946.
Following purchase by a consortium of local government agencies in 1964, the renamed East Midlands Airport opens for passenger service in April 1965, replacing the former Derby Airport.
A British Midland Boeing 737 based at the airport crashes onto the M1 motorway embankment near Kegworth on approach to East Midlands, killing 47 people, in one of the deadliest UK aviation accidents of the era.
National Express acquires the airport from the local councils that had owned it since the 1960s.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) purchases East Midlands Airport together with Bournemouth Airport, becoming its long-term owner.
East Midlands handles around 300,100 tonnes of freight, cementing its position as the UK's second-busiest cargo airport after London Heathrow, powered by DHL, UPS, and PostNL operations.
The airport handles 3.19 million passengers, a 283% increase over 2021 as travel recovers from pandemic-era lows, ranking 14th nationally for UK passenger traffic.
General encyclopedic sources (Wikipedia, official East Midlands Airport history page). Cargo and passenger figures reflect the years cited in source material, not necessarily the most recent available; rail-link and freeport expansion plans mentioned for the 2040s remain proposals, not completed projects, as of research date.