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Liverpool Airport History |
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| Liverpool airport
was officially opened on the 1st July, 1933 by the Right Hon. The Marquess of Londonderry, K.G. Secretary of State for Air, and
it is interesting to note that the Air Display was referred to at that time as
the greatest Air Pageant every held outside Hendon. 100,000 spectators visited the Airport, and 246 aircraft attended the display. The Secretary of State for Air arrived in a Hawker-Hart machine from the R.A.F. Station at Sealand, escorted by No. 29 (Fighter) Squadron of the Royal Air Force flying Bristol Bulldog Machines. Included in the programme was a ‘Fly Past’ by Civilian Machines together with a demonstration of aerobatics in an Avro Tutor training machine flown by Flight Lieut. G. H. Stainforth, A.F.C., R.A.F. (an aircraft which at that time was the standard training machine for the Royal Air Force and cruised at 100 miles an hour). In addition, there was a display by a Ceirva Autogiro and a landing competition where the Pilot who got nearest to a given mark, with propellers stopped, won. Two further competitions comprised a Liverpool - Blackpool - Liverpool air race and a parachute jumping competition. Early Days: Following the successful opening, the Airport really showed promise with a number of airlines operating regular services. One of the first operators to use Speke was Blackpool and West Coast Air Services. Based at Blackpool this Company was originated by John Higgins, an instructor with the Liverpool Aero Club, and in association with two local businessmen his company commenced operations in 1933. The first scheduled service being Liverpool-Blackpool at a cost of 18/- (90p.) return. Other early operators included Aer Lingus and Hiiman Airways with D.H. 8’+ Dragons and D.H. 89A Rapides, Midland and Scottish Air Ferries with Avro 10 and Avro 642 machines. Railway Air Services also operated D.H. Dragons and K.L.M. Royal Dutch Airline where operating Fokker F18’s. Other operators quickly appeared amongst them, United Airways, Crilley Airways, and British Airways. During the time that the traffic was building up, the City Council found it necessary to expand the Airport equipment and facilities to meet the requirements of the increasing traffic. The first necessity was the levelling and draining of the Airfield. It is interesting to note that so well had this been carried out at Liverpool that the ground remained safe for flying throughout the wet winter of 1935/36 despite the fact that almost all other aerodromes in England had either large portions out of commission at some period, or in some cases, had to close for a period of several days to all traffic. By the summer of 1937 the total area had been levelled and drained. Buildings and Runways: Hangar No. I was completed in 1937 and Hangar No. 2 during the War. The present Control Tower was completed in 1937 and the Terminal Building was added later, being finally completed in 1939. During the War additional metal hangars were installed, together with other hutted accommodation. Since the War, three private hangars have also been constructed at the Airport. Three runways, together with a taxiway were constructed during the War, however, only two of these runways are still in operation. The War Years: The first connection with the armed forces was in 1936 when on the 8th January, No. 611 (West Lancs) Squadron moved to Speke. Military activity now exceeded civilian use Liverpool airport and by December 1939 yet another unit appeared (No. 37 Squadron) equipped with Wellingtons. This Squadron’s stay was short-lived but during the five months of operations they carried out intensive training before leaving for the middle-east. 1940 the war effort increased and Liverpool’s importance as a seaport produced the inevitable influx of aircraft flown into Speke, dismantled and shipped abroad to such destinations as Rhodesia, South Africa and various points along the West African Coast. 1961 Onwards: Certain development work has been carried out by lengthening runway 08/26, enlarging the apron and the construction of new taxiways together with improvements to the Terminal Building since 1961 when Liverpool Corporation took over control of the Airport from the then Ministry of Aviation. As part of the long-term development of the Airport, runway 09/27, designed to the latest standards, has a minimum take-off distance of 2,1+69 metres. This runway was built on Corporation land between Hale Road and the River Mersey and was formally opening on the 7th May 1966 by the Duke of Edinburgh. Care has been taken to ensure that the runway will be capable of extension to accommodate future generations of aircraft. It is at present one of the few fully Category II runways in Europe. This means that aircraft which are equipped to land in such conditions of poor visibility as Category II may do so providing the visibility is not less than l50ft. vertically and 500 metres horizontally from the ground. Plans have been drawn up for the closure of the existing terminal and airfield and for a new terminal to be built on the Speke side of the new runway. Since the new terminal will not be completed for another few years, it was decided to convert part of one of the large hangars into an international terminal. This terminal now handles all international traffic throughout the year. Domestic traffic continues to use the old terminal building which has been further modified by conversion of the old customs area to a check-in for British Midland and undercover baggage claim. During the Spring of 1972, further work was carried out at Liverpool airport on the apron to join two of the aircraft stands together to form a large parking area which will accommodate a Boeing 747 or stretched version of the D.C.8. |
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