A UK airport has created confusion after branding itself as a part of ‘London’ – despite being closer to France than the English capital.
Officially named Lydd Airport, the airspace, which has been out of action for commercial airlines since 2018, is sat in Kent’s Romney Marshes.
It also goes by the name of London Ashford – and is still a fair distance away from the commuter town Ashford, with a drive of just under half an hour.
To get to central London would take more than an hour to drive – and possibly longer by train.
The branding has led to some criticism, as people noted the bizarreness of he name – with one person calling it “a real stretch”.
They point out that the airport, known as London Ashford, is neither in London, nor in Ashford.
One tweet pointed this fact out and garnered an impressive 418 likes, as people pointed out it was in fact 73 miles from the City, and its location near the south coast meant France was indeed closer.
Officially named Lydd Airport, the website confesses it is “the future of aviation in the South-East of England”, although right now only operates for “executive jets, helicopters, private light aircraft and cargo”.
It is a short distance from the M20, and just a 23 minute drive to Ashford International, where trains can take you into central London in 37 minutes.
The airport used to be one of the busiest in the country in 1959, but the advent of the Hovercraft and roll-on-roll-off ferries meant a reduction in services from Lydd.
It has had proposals for a new runway permitted by the Secretary of State, and aims to run passenger flights to give southerners an alternative to Gatwick and Heathrow for their holidays.
In response to people pointing out the bizarre nature of London-Ashford being so far away, one person hilariously replied: “yes, but they are keeping a Lydd on it”.
There are a raft of other airports which brand themselves as belonging to certain cities despite being a fair distance away.
Among these include ‘Stockholm’s’ Vasteras Airport, a whopping 62 miles away from the Swedish capital. The Ryanair hub takes flights from Spain and London, and the airport’s website warns customers that they face at least a 70-minute drive after arriving.
Also in northern Europe, Oslo-Torp Airport is a huge 66 miles from the Norwegian capital – visitors are advised to take a 1 hour and 45-minute train.
