<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History East Midlands Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>RAF Castle Donington:</strong> RAF Castle Donington was opened as a Royal Air Force station in 1943, during the Second World War. The airfield was equipped with three concrete runways, together with two hangars, and was a satellite airfield to RAF Wymeswold, situated some 9 miles (14 km) to the southeast. Initially, the airfield was used by the 28 Operational Training Unit, training RAF Bomber Command crews on the Vickers Wellington, and subsequently by the 108 Operational Training Unit, later renamed 1382 Transport Conversion Unit, training RAF Transport Command crews on the Douglas Dakota. The airfield closed and the air force station was decommissioned in 1946.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>East Midlands Airport:</strong> A group of local government agencies bought the former RAF station site in 1964, at which point a sizable construction and runway investment program was launched. The airfield was renamed East Midlands Airport to reflect the area it served, and it opened for passengers in April 1965. 1982, when the head office moved to Donington Hall, British Midland had its head office on the airport property. MI also had its maintenance base at the airport.</p>
<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3">Ground transport East Midlands Airport</h2>
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<li class="blog-li"><strong>Motorway:</strong> East Midlands Parkway railway station. The airport has excellent connections to the motorway network, as it is near the intersection of the M1, A42 and A50 at Donington Park, bringing the airfield within easy reach of the major population centers of the Midlands. The A46 is also within reach for journeys to the rest of the East Midlands.</li>
<li class="blog-li"><strong>Drop-off fees:</strong> The airport introduced a charge of &pound;1 to drop car passengers near the departure lounge in 2010. In May 2016, the charge was doubled to &pound;2, with any stay in the area above ten minutes being charged at &pound;1 per minute. Now for drop off it is &pound;5 for the first 10 minutes and a &pound;1 for every minute after. Drivers needing longer can stay free for one hour in the long-term carpark, a five-minute bus ride from the terminal. The short-term parking is closer but charges &pound;3.50 for 30 minutes.</li>
<li class="blog-li"><strong>Railway:</strong> The airport has no direct access to the passenger rail network or the Nottingham Express Transit tram network. The nearest railway station is East Midlands Parkway, four miles (six kilometers&rsquo;) away, with regular services to Leicester, Derby, Sheffield, Lincoln, Nottingham and London St Pancreas. The original shuttle bus service linking the station and the airport ceased not long after it was introduced, but in 2015 an hourly minibus service was reintroduced by Elite Cars, restoring scheduled shuttle services to and from the airport. Connections to the airport via taxi are also available.</li>
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<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100 " title="History East Midlands Airport" src="../../../main/img/airport/eas/8.webp" alt="History East Midlands Airport"></p>