An extended family fun weekend is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 19, 20 and 21 July.
Update: Schedule update – Sunday, July 20: Due to poor weather conditions, the Red Arrows’ flypast of East Midlands Airport, for its 60th anniversary celebrations, is now expected shortly after 1800 this evening.
A business reception is also taking place on 21 July to mark the occasion and carry out a local launch of the airport’s cargo growth plans.
It was on 21 July 1965 when HRH the Duke of Edinburgh unveiled a plaque to declare the airport officially open – and a plaque will also be unveiled on 21 July 2025 to mark the completion of works to expand and transform the airport’s security hall.
The site for East Midlands Airport was chosen by local councils, who bought it for £37,500 in 1963 and spent £1.37m developing it. Its proximity to the yet-to-be-built M1 motorway gave the airport a strategic edge, which continues to benefit both the passenger and cargo sides of its business today. These have grown from almost 115,000 passengers and 358 tonnes of cargo to 4 million passengers and 370,000 tonnes over the last six decades.
The anniversary event at the Aeropark near the airport will include games, food stalls, community stalls, a bouncy castle and children’s entertainment, and will run from 10am to 6pm each day.
Flypasts by the Red Arrows and a Spitfire are planned on the Sunday courtesy of the RAF, subject to prevailing weather conditions and operational considerations.
Free parking will be available in a nearby field. It can be reached by following Diseworth Road from its junction near the Nags Head in Castle Donington to the bottom, and following marshal instructions. Blue Badge parking will be available in the main car park outside the front gates of the Aeropark. The event will also be accessible by Trent Barton’s Skylink bus service, with a stop close to the Aeropark entrance.
Admission prices are £5 for adults, £3 for children aged 5–16, with under-fives free. Tickets can be bought with cash or card/contactless on the day. All proceeds go to maintaining the museum, which is run by volunteers.
The invitation-only business reception is taking place at the East Midlands Airport Hilton Hotel on the evening of 21 July. It will be an opportunity for local businesses to hear about the success of the airport over its 60 years and its plans for the future. This includes its cargo growth plans, which earmark areas of the airfield for development that could support more than 21,000 jobs to meet an expected increase in demand over the next twenty years. Guest speaker will be Terry Dyer, the son of East Midlands’ first Airport Director, Eric Dyer, who oversaw its development and successful operation.
Mr Dyer will also join the airport’s current Managing Director, Steve Griffiths, earlier in the day to unveil a plaque marking the completion of work to expand and transform the security hall. This has involved the installation of next-generation security equipment and the creation of a fresh, modern look throughout as part of the airport’s £120 million investment programme.
Steve Griffiths said: “The activities taking place on and around the date of East Midlands’ official opening really reflect the airport’s status from a local, regional and national perspective. The family fun weekend is a great way for us to celebrate with our local communities, the business reception is a reminder of our significant role in the region’s economy, and the plaque unveiling marks progress that continues the pioneering spirit that the airport has had from the outset – always seeking to grow and improve.
“In this anniversary year, we are looking to the horizon to secure an even brighter, better future. I’m confident that East Midlands Airport can continue to provide effortless travel and power seamless trade 60 years from now.”