Croydon was London's principal international airport from 1920 until the rise of Heathrow and one of the defining airports of early commercial aviation.
History
London's main airport from 1920
Croydon opened as London Terminal Aerodrome on 29 March 1920 after commercial operations moved from Hounslow Heath. It became Britain's principal international airport and the base of Imperial Airways, an ancestor of British Airways.
Mayday was coined here
In 1923 Croydon radio officer Frederick Stanley Mockford proposed the distress call Mayday, derived from the French m'aider, for use between Croydon and Le Bourget.
Air traffic control developed here
Croydon was a pioneer of organised air traffic control, radio navigation and international airline operations during the 1920s and 1930s.
Heathrow made Croydon obsolete
After the Second World War, larger aircraft and the need for longer runways favoured Heathrow. Croydon finally closed in 1959.
Legacy
Airport House survives
The former terminal complex survives as Airport House, preserving one of the clearest physical reminders of London's pre-Heathrow aviation era. See Historic Croydon Airport.