Several airports across the UK that once served as major gateways to worldwide destinations have closed their doors and now sit eerily empty, with deserted check-in desks and runways without a plane in sight.
Airports typically function as bustling hubs of organised chaos, teeming with passengers year-round. The rumble of wheeled suitcases across polished floors mingles with the roar of aircraft engines, while chatter among holidaymakers blends with round-the-clock activity. When that activity abruptly stops, it can feel especially unsettling, as check-in desks stand deserted and seats at gates remain vacant.
Over the years, UK airports have faced challenges including competition from neighbouring hubs and dwindling passenger numbers, compelling many to close permanently. The former hubs now stir nostalgia in those who once travelled through them.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport
The Yorkshire hub once offered connections to European holiday destinations including Alicante, Amsterdam, Budapest, Dublin, Palma and Paphos through Wizz Air, TUI and Ryanair. In 2022, Doncaster Sheffield Airport was forced to close after its former owner, Peel Group, declared it was no longer financially viable to continue operating. Plans are in place to reopen the airport following a £160 million investment, with hopes that passenger flights could resume by 2028.
Croydon and Plymouth City Airports
Croydon Airport featured a white, neoclassical-style building that looked more like a hotel than a terminal. It was home to Britain's first commercial airline, Imperial, with champagne and a six-course meal served to passengers by cabin crew in smart white jackets. Croydon was also the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control and was the UK's main international airport during the interwar period. After the war, London Heathrow Airport took over as the city's primary international airport, and Croydon Airport closed in 1959.
Plymouth City Airport, which opened in 1925, offered routes to destinations such as Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Jersey and Cardiff. In 2009, it saw 157,933 passengers pass through, but by 2011 the figure had dwindled to fewer than 100 passengers a day following the axing of London flights earlier that year. On 23 December 2011, the airport closed for good and ceased all operations.
Manston, Coventry and Sheffield City Airports
Kent International Airport, which originally operated as RAF Manston in 1916, is just 90 minutes from London in the parish of Minster-in-Thanet. Due to its proximity to major hubs like Heathrow and Gatwick, it failed to compete and changed hands for just £1 in 2014, closing its doors that year. RiverOak Strategic Partners has outlined plans for "reviving Manston Airport as a successful and profitable airfreight hub, of national significance, with complementary passenger and engineering services," adding: "Work is now underway on the detailed planning work necessary prior to the reopening of the airport in 2029."
Coventry Airport had been open since 1936 and, during the early 2000s, was a base for TUI under the name Thomsonfly, with Wizz Air also operating from the site. After almost 90 years, it permanently closed on June 11, 2026, and is set to become a GreenPower Park. Sheffield City Airport opened in 1998 as the first South Yorkshire airport, providing flights to UK destinations such as London, Belfast and Jersey, along with links to European hotspots like Amsterdam and Brussels. The routes were ultimately cancelled, and it closed on 30 April 2008, later becoming part of the Advanced Manufacturing Park.
