Luton Airport History

Luton Airport - then seen as London’s northern terminal - was opened on the 16th of July 1948 by the Right Honourable Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air.

During World War 2 Luton Airport served as a base for the 264 Fighter Squadron, but by 1969 it was serving an altogether more peaceful purpose – fun in the sun - with a fifth of all UK package holiday flights departing from Luton Airport.

A spot of turbulence – downturn and re-emergence

After a tough patch in the 1970’s Luton Airport re-emerged in the mid 80’s with a new international terminal and new scheduled flights to Spain and Ireland.

In 1991, a new management team took control of Luton Airport and over the next 5 years invested £30 million in airport infrastructure and facilities; including a new control tower, new cargo centre and the extension and refurbishment of the passenger terminal.

Clear skies ahead – redevelopment

Autumn 1999 marked the completion of a massive redevelopment, giving Luton Airport a £40 million terminal, state of the art baggage and flight information systems, a wide range of shops, restaurants and bars and extended parking facilities.

That same year, the London Luton Parkway railway station was opened, making the 90 mile journey to central London less than 30 minutes.

Flying High – Luton Airport’s bright future

From a modest terminal 90 miles north of the capital to London’s 4th largest airport, Luton Airport has well and truly shaken off its humble beginnings and is now the 5th largest airport in the UK – serving around 9.2 million passengers a year.

Luton International Airport is home base to many scheduled and charter carriers in the UK including budget airlines Easyjet and RyanAir … and the story of Luton Airport continues. If you are looking for information about Luton airport parking have a look at our different offers.