Our History
The Beginning of Brighton Airport
In 1910, a former student of Lancing College, called Harold Piffard decided to create himself a flying base on a piece of grazing land, located nearby the river that runs between Lancing and Shoreham. Piffard was the first to courageously fly from Shoreham airfield in 1910, and this was when the story of Brighton City Airport began. Piffard, who came equipped with his Humming Bird aircraft, only stayed at Shoreham for a few months, but towards the end of 1910 the site had become much more popular with other flying enthusiasts, including the Pashley brothers. This was when the airport became locally known as Shoreham Airfield. On the 4th of July, 1911 the airfield was the starting point for the first recorded cargo flight.

The Building
The Terminal Building is now a Grade II* listed building and is currently used for a number of different activities such as business, training, pleasure fliers and visitors from Europe. Many of the fixtures in the terminal building are original including the Whispering Gallery on the first floor and the main window design above the main entrance.Currently at Brighton City Airport there are a range of things you can do on site. Take a look at our business directory to explore what companies are based here. We also have a fabulous café, appropriately named the Hummingbird Café that is able to cater for your every need. Additionally, we have the Shoreham Airport Collection located in the Main Airport Terminal whose volunteer staff offer affordable, all-inclusive tours of the airport – both landside and airside.