London Ashford Airport

Lydd International Airport
IATA: LYX ICAO: EGMD
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	London Ashford Airport Ltd.
Serves	London, East Sussex and Kent
Location	Lydd, Kent
Elevation AMSL	13 ft / 4 m
Coordinates	50°57′22″N 000°56′21″E / 50.95611°N 0.93917°E / 50.95611; 0.93917Coordinates: 50°57′22″N 000°56′21″E / 50.95611°N 0.93917°E / 50.95611; 0.93917
Website	www.lydd-airport.co.uk
Map
EGMD Location in Kent
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 1,505 4,938 Grooved Asphalt
Statistics (2013)
Movements 16,347 Passengers 670
Sources: UK AIP at NATS Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Lydd Airport (IATA: LYX, ICAO: EGMD) is located 1.2 NM (2.2 km; 1.4 mi) northeast of the town of Lydd and 12 NM (22 km; 14 mi) south of Ashford in the District of Shepway within Kent, England. Originally named Lydd Ferryfield, it is now also known as London Ashford Airport, although it is over 73 miles from central London, and the name officially refers only to its operator. The airport is operated by London Ashford Airport Ltd, a company ultimately controlled by the Saudi Arabian businessman Sheikh Fahad al-Athel.

Lydd Airport has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P858) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (London Ashford Airport Limited). The airport is currently able to handle aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 737 or Airbus A319, but the runway length means that such aircraft can only take off with a restricted payload. Lydd Air is based at the airport, offering regular flights to Le Touquet Airport in northern France, using Piper PA-31 and similar sized aircraft.

The airport lies adjacent to the unique landscape of Dungeness, a Cuspate foreland that is one of the largest expanses of shingle beach in Europe and which is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife, a fact that is recognised by its designations as a national nature reserve, a Special Protection Area, a Special Area of Conservation and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay. This proximity has led to opposition to plans to expand the airport, but the airport has now been granted permission to build a 294 m (965 ft) runway extension and a new terminal building. This will allow it to handle fully loaded Boeing 737 or Airbus A319 aircraft.