Our History
1950s
The drawbacks of the light aircraft base at Burnaston Aerodrome become increasingly apparent and the East Midlands Airport Joint Committee is formed to look for a new site.
1963
Castle Donington Airfield – a former RAF base decommissioned in 1946 - is acquired for £37,500.
1964
Planning permission for a new airport is granted and work begins on site.
1965
The airport opens for business in April.
The first flight (BMA Herald G-ASKK) arrives from Glasgow.
1970
The runway is extended to 7,480 feet.
1971
Lockheed L1011 TriStar arrives at East Midlands Airport.
1973
Cargo Terminal 2 opens.
1978
The first Boeing 747 arrives at East Midlands Airport.
1979
Royal Mail begins night air operations on weekdays.
1983
The new Jasmin system is introduced to log flight movements.
1984
ELAN (now DHL) begins operations at the airport.
Passenger numbers pass the 1 million mark.
1986
Princess Anne opens the new terminal extension.
1987
The Thistle Hotel opens on-site.
1989
DHL International establishes its UK air operations hub at East Midlands Airport.
1992
Royal Mail begins Sunday night operations.
1993
The airport is privatised and bought by the National Express Group
1995
Phase 1 of the new East Apron opens for business.
1996
The old Aeropark closes.
A new departures building opens as part of a £14.5m project.
Phase 2 of the East Apron opens.
The airport welcomes its 25 millionth passenger.
1997
Cargo Terminal 4 opens.
1999
Phase 1 of the runway extension - the 460m eastern extension - becomes operational.
2000
The DHL hub opens at ‘Cargo West’
The full runway extension becomes operational – taking its length to 2,893m.
2001
East Midlands Airport becomes part of the Manchester Airports Group.
The new Aeropark opens its gates.
Low-cost carrier Go Fly announces East Midlands as a new base.
2002
BMI launches bmibaby, a new low-cost airline, at East Midlands Airport.
East Midlands Airport gains the ISO 14001 accreditation, the Environmental Management Standard.
2003
Kalitta Air begins regular Boeing 747 operations to the USA.
Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, opens the new check-in hall extension.
The airport wins an Environmental Awareness Award.
2004
Ryanair begin operations at the airport.
Self-service check-in is launched.
2005
Aid flights leave the airport to ferry relief supplies to victims of the Asian tsunami.
East Midlands Airport serves its 50 millionth passenger in 40 years.
The airport wins the award for Best UK Airport at British Travel Awards
2006
Airport publishes Master Plan, outlining plans for its future growth up to 2030 and commits to make its ground operations carbon neutral by 2012.
4.7 million passengers passed through the airport, making it the busiest year ever.
The Airport handled 287,000 tonnes of freight and 26,860 tonnes of mail.
EMA became the first airport in Europe to launch WebTrak.
Airport wins two awards: -
Best Regional Airport (UK) - Selling Long Haul and Short Breaks and Holidays Travel Awards.
Green Apple Silver - The Green Organisation.
2007
Sterling Airlines commence operations, with flights to Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm.
UK International Airlines (UKIA) begin flights to Islamabad (Pakistan)
via Sharjah (near Dubai).
EMA applied to install four large wind turbines on site.
Airport wins six awards: -
Airport of the Year – British Travel Awards.
Best UK Airport – Travel Weekly Globe Awards.
World’s Leading Eco Friendly Airport – World Travel Awards.
Best UK Regional Airport – Travel Bulletin Awards.
Best Airport - Baltic Air Charter Association Awards.
Green Apple Bronze for Sustainable Transport – The Green Organisation.