Croydon Airport (ICAO: EGCR) was the United Kingdom's main international airport during the interwar period. It opened in 1920, located near Croydon, then part of Surrey, using a temporary terminal, hangars and offices on Plough Lane. A new permanent terminal in a Neoclassical style opened in 1928 on the 1925-built Purley Way. The airport handled more cargo, mail, and passengers than any other UK airport at the time. Innovations at the site included the world's first air traffic control, the first airport terminal and the world's first airport hotel (the Gate Lodge, now the Aerodrome Hotel). It was home to Britain's first national airline, Imperial Airways, founded through a government sponsored four-airline merger in 1924.
Croydon Airport, London: Imperial Airways established
Croydon Airport (ICAO: EGCR) was the United Kingdom's main international airport during the interwar period.
Historical Significance
Croydon Airport (ICAO: EGCR) was the United Kingdom's main international airport during the interwar period.
Events Before
Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS
The "Big Four" was a name used to describe the four largest railway companies in the United Kingdom in the period 1923–1947.
President of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (41) weds Latife Hanim; divorce in 1925
President of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (41) weds Latife Hanim; divorce in 1925
Howard Carter opens the inner burial chamber of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb and finds the sarcophagus
Howard Carter (9 May 1874 – 2 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptologist who became known for discovering the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun in November 1922, the...
Italian actor Rudolph Valentino (24) divorces actress Jean Acker (26)
Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino or mononymously as Valentino was an Italian-born...
Writer Anaïs Nin (Delta of Venus) marries banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in Havana, Cuba
Writer Anaïs Nin (Delta of Venus) marries banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in Havana, Cuba
Events After
Norway's capital, Kristiania, changes its name to Oslo
Oslo is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality.
Benito Mussolini dissolves the Italian Parliament and proclaims himself dictator of Italy, taking the title Il Duce (the
Benito Mussolini dissolves the Italian Parliament and proclaims himself dictator of Italy, taking the title Il Duce (the Leader)
Actress Gloria Swanson (25) weds aristocrat Henri de la Falaise (26) in Paris, France
Actress Gloria Swanson (25) weds aristocrat Henri de la Falaise (26) in Paris, France
Heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey (29) weds actress Estelle Taylor (30)
Heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey (29) weds actress Estelle Taylor (30)
German lawyer and future Nazi war criminal Hans Frank (24) weds German secretary Brigitte Herbst (29) in Munich, Germany
German lawyer and future Nazi war criminal Hans Frank (24) weds German secretary Brigitte Herbst (29) in Munich, Germany, until his execution in 1946
More from the 1920s
birth
Isaac Asimov is born
Isaac Asimov, American writer and biochemist, known for american writer and biochemist, was born on 1920-01-02.
birth
Charlie Munger is born
Charlie Munger, American businessman, known for american businessman, was born on 1924-01-01.
birth
Vernon L. Smith is born
Vernon L. Smith, American economist and nobel laureate, known for american economist and nobel laureate, was born on 1927-01-01.
Byelorussian Communist Organization is founded as a separate party
The Byelorussian Communist Organisation was a communist group in Belarus, led by Usievalad Ihnatoŭski.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on March 31, 1924?
- Croydon Airport (ICAO: EGCR) was the United Kingdom's main international airport during the interwar period. It opened in 1920, located near Croydon, then part of Surrey, using a temporary terminal, hangars and offices on Plough Lane. A new permanent terminal in a Neoclassical style opened in 1928 on the 1925-built Purley Way.
- Why is Croydon Airport, London: Imperial Airways established significant?
- Croydon Airport (ICAO: EGCR) was the United Kingdom's main international airport during the interwar period.