Lympne Airport - Silver City Airways

Silver City Airways

Silver City Airways moved to Lympne in 1948, operating Bristol Freighter Mk.21 aircraft and an aerial car ferry to Le Touquet started on 13 July 1948. The air ferry was the idea of Griffith J Powell, who wanted to holiday in France but did not like the ferry. Bristol lent an aircraft for an experiment on 7 July 1948. The first car was Powell's Armstrong Siddeley 16 which was carried by G-AGVC.The Bristol Freighter Mk.21 could carry two cars. Although only 170 cars were carried in 1948, experience was gained.

The service was initially operated on a charter basis. Having closed down over the winter, the service was resumed as a scheduled service on 13 April 1949. During 1949, two aircraft carried 2,700 cars. By 1950 the figures had risen to 3,850 cars and 1,000 motorcycles and other vehicles with passengers totalling 15,000. In that year, a London driver offered a London-Paris taxi service. Silver City Airways had estimated that they would carry nearly 7,000 cars in 1953, but this figure was reached in 1951. The three aircraft had to be doubled to six to cope. Over 13,000 vehicles were carried, with 42 return flights daily at peak times. The time between Lympne and Le Touquet was 18 minutes.

In February 1953, Lympne was waterlogged and services were temporarily transferred to Southend. In September waterlogging again stopped the air ferry, which was transferred to RAF West Malling. Six Bristol Freighter Mk.32s were introduced in March 1953, at a cost of £540,000, which could each carry three cars and a service to Ostend was started with the aircraft. Skyways remained at Lympne until October 1954 when it moved to Lydd (Ferryfield). On 3 October 1954, the last Silver City flight to Le Touquet was operated by Bristol Freighter G-AIFV. Silver City moved to Lydd because the runway at Lympne was not suitable. Although it had campaigned for improvements to the runway and was Lympne's biggest customer the airfields owners, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, refused. Silver City said it would build an airport suitable for its needs at Lydd.