| 1943 | Castle Donington became the satellite airfield for Wymeswold, opening on January 1.
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| 1944 | Castle Donington hosted 108 Operational Training, sharing its Dakota aircraft with the Wymeswold parent airfield.
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| 1946 | Castle Donington Airfield was closed due to reduced crew requirements and lack of need of the airfield.
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| 1965 | The new airport, renamed East Midlands Airport, opened to the public on April 2 on a site which had previously been the Royal Air Force base, RAF Castle Donington. It was a replacement for eleven year old Bournaston Airport which had a grass runway. Prince Philip did the opening honours. This airport was not an instant success although it had parking for 850 cars, a runway of 5850 feet with 60 feet of taxiway, and a new hangar floor and aprons.
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| 1970 | Increased air traffic forced the financially successful redevelopment project of building a new freight complex plus the extension of the terminal and runway.
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| 1972 | A charter air operator, Alidair, introduced services to East Midlands Airport, service which lasted until 1983.
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| 1985 | For the first time, a million passengers passed through East Midlands Airport for the first time.
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| 1986 | Princess Anne presided at the opening of a 3 million pound extension of the terminal.
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| 1986 | Orion, another charter airline, received permission to fly from East Midlands to sites in Spain.
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| 1987 | Due to legislation, the airport became a public limited company.
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| 1992 | A proposed major terminal extension was cancelled due to the inability of the local owning authorities to come up with the funds for the proposal.
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| 1993 | East Midlands Airport became the first major regional airport to enter the private sector. The government had been pressuring for the reduction of public spending. The selling price of the airport was 24.3 million pounds, paid by National Express Group. This group owned the airport for eight years and invested 77 million pounds on infrastructure in the airfield and passenger facilities. This investment included a 600 metre increase in the airstrip as well as a new air traffic control tower, the second tallest in the country. The control tower is expected to serve the needs of East Midlands Airport for fifty years.
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| 1999 | A joint business park venture in conjunction with Wilson Bowden was begun. The 62 acre site, named Pegasus, had very good first-year results. Occupants of the Pegasus park include the regional headquarters for Powergen, a Regus office block, along with Holiday Inn and Radisson Hotels.
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| 2000 | The international parcel courier, DHL, opened a 35 million pound facility at the airport.
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| 2001 | The joint sale of East Midland Airport and Bournemouth International Airport to Manchester Airport Group was for a total of 241 million pounds.
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| 2001 | ‘No-frills’ carriers cause an increase in the income and the number of passengers going through this airport.
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| 2004 | The airport was renamed Nottingham East Midland Airport. The rationale was to help foreign visitors to have a better idea of where the airport actually is located.
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