Luton opened as a municipal airport in 1938 and later grew through charter, package-holiday and low-cost aviation.
Municipal beginnings
Luton Airport opened in 1938 as a municipal airport serving the town of Luton and the surrounding region.
Charter and package holidays
From the 1960s onward it became strongly associated with charter airlines and package-holiday flying, helping establish the leisure role it still has today.
Low-cost transformation
easyJet began services from Luton in 1995, and the airport later became a major Wizz Air base. The DART, opened in the 2020s, changed the final station-to-terminal leg by replacing the old shuttle-bus dependency.
Fun facts
- Luton began in 1938 as a municipal aerodrome and then served as an RAF base during the Second World War.
- A 1979 advertising campaign featuring actress Lorraine Chase became so closely associated with Luton Airport that the airport recreated the famous publicity image for its 85th anniversary in 2023.
- The airport's modern low-cost identity is closely tied to easyJet, which began flying from Luton in 1995.
See Luton's 85th-anniversary history.