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| Airports established in 1938 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Airports established in 1938 |
| Established | 1938 |
| Types | Civil aviation, military aviation, municipal airports |
Airports established in 1938
Airports inaugurated in 1938 emerged amid interwar aviation expansion tied to figures such as Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, Alec Ogilvie, and institutions including the Civil Aeronautics Authority, Imperial Airways, Pan American World Airways, and the De Havilland Aircraft Company, reflecting technological shifts associated with the Boeing 247, Douglas DC-3, Lockheed Electra, Airco DH.89 Dragon Rapide, and airframe manufacturers like Handley Page and Fokker. These aerodromes connected to metropolitan nodes such as London, New York City, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Moscow, Sydney, and Rio de Janeiro and to regional networks operated by carriers including British Airways Limited, Transcontinental & Western Air, Austrian Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Aer Lingus.
In 1938 many airports were founded under the auspices of municipal authorities like the Port of London Authority, the New York City Port Authority, the Port Authority of New South Wales, and the City of Buenos Aires, with investment from entities including the Works Progress Administration, the Department of Commerce (United States), and private firms such as Lockheed Corporation and Short Brothers. Aviation planners cited precedents in reports by the Royal Aeronautical Society, the International Civil Aviation Organization precursors, and engineers trained at institutions like Imperial College London and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Major infrastructure projects linked to landmark events—such as preparations for the 1938 British Empire Exhibition and expansions tied to air mail contracts like those awarded to Pan American Airways and Trans World Airlines—drove site selection near transport hubs including the Great Western Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway, and the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Prominent 1938 openings include facilities established by municipal and national authorities such as airports serving Heathrow, new terminals allied with LaGuardia Airport expansions, regional fields near Sydney Airport, and transcontinental nodes in Tokyo Haneda, Moscow Sheremetyevo predecessors, and Latin American hubs in Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini Airport projects; many hosted inaugural flights by carriers like Imperial Airways, Pan American World Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, Japan Air Transport, and Aeroflot. Other notable sites linked to aviation pioneers include fields associated with the Royal Air Force, civil facilities near RAF Northolt, and intermodal terminals adjacent to King's Cross railway station and Grand Central Terminal logistics corridors. Several 1938 airports later gained prominence for hosting pioneering long-range services by aircraft such as the Boeing 314 and operators such as BOAC and Cathay Pacific.
Designs by architects influenced by Charles Holden, Sir Edwin Lutyens, Ernö Goldfinger, and engineers from firms like Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners embraced Modernist architecture, Streamline Moderne, and functionalist hangar typologies inspired by structural work at Bristol Aeroplane Company and Vickers-Armstrongs. Terminal layouts incorporated innovations from studies at Bauhaus-connected workshops and planning manuals circulated by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the American Institute of Architects. Construction techniques drew on reinforced concrete practices refined during projects such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and steel truss developments used in hangars by Sikorsky Aircraft and Gloster Aircraft Company, while navigational aids installed reflected standards promoted by the International Commission for Air Navigation and manufacturers like RCA and Siemens.
Airfields inaugurated in 1938 rapidly became strategic assets for belligerents including United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Imperial Japan, and the Soviet Union, integrating into operations run by the Royal Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces, the Luftwaffe, and the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. Many were requisitioned for roles ranging from training at Empire Air Training Scheme facilities to staging for campaigns such as the Battle of Britain, the Pacific War, the Eastern Front, and the North African Campaign, supporting aircraft types including the Supermarine Spitfire, North American P-51 Mustang, Messerschmitt Bf 109, and Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Facilities served as bases for units tied to squadrons like No. 303 Squadron RAF and groups within the 8th Air Force, and became targets in bombing campaigns planned by commands such as RAF Bomber Command and the United States Strategic Bombing Survey.
After World War II many 1938 airports were modernized under postwar reconstruction policies driven by ministries like the Ministry of Transport (United Kingdom), the United States Federal Aviation Administration predecessors, and planning agencies including the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation. Upgrades accommodated jet age arrivals like the De Havilland Comet, Boeing 707, and Douglas DC-8, funded by programs associated with the Marshall Plan and national bodies such as Aer Lingus modernization funds, and integrated into networks serving alliances like NATO and economic blocs such as the European Coal and Steel Community. Master plans referenced standards from the International Civil Aviation Organization and incorporated air traffic control systems developed by companies including Raytheon and Honeywell.
Several 1938 airports, their terminals, hangars, and control towers gained listed status through bodies like Historic England, the National Trust (United Kingdom), the United States National Park Service preservation programs, and national heritage agencies in countries such as France, Japan, and Australia. Conservation efforts have involved stakeholders including English Heritage, ICOMOS, aviation museums such as the Imperial War Museums, the Smithsonian Institution, the Australian National Aviation Museum, and advocacy groups like The Aviation Heritage Trust, balancing adaptive reuse projects tied to urban renewal schemes near King's Cross, Canary Wharf, La Défense, and waterfront redevelopments influenced by the Port of London Authority and Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Category:Airports by year of establishment