Easy access to Air Travel is not as it should be around Ashford.

Various attempts have been made to operate passenger services from Manston, or Kent International Airport as it's now known, (just this side of Ramsgate), but have failed due mainly to it's position.
At present it is used frequently for Freight services and it is hoped that a new Operator may come along shortly.

Lydd Airport / London Ashford, subject to agreements etc., has huge expansion plans.
Situated in the Romney Marshes between Lydd and Dungeness, it is at present used mainly for private planes and the hire of them.
There are passenger flights available to La Touguet in France.

Lydd Airport is situated 22km south of Ashford in Kent. After exiting the M20 at Junction 10 and joining the A2070 Southbound, the airport is well signposted. The motorway to terminal journey time is 20 minutes. London to Lydd Airport takes 1h 20 minutes by car.

The closest major Air Terminal is London Gatwick with it's huge variety of destinations.
A car trip from Ashford is 62 miles, but being completely by Motorway, the journey time is approx one hour.
Basically, it's M20, M26, M25 and turning off at Junction 7 onto the M23.
For those with Satellite Navigation, the postcode for South Terminal is RH6 0RN and North Terminal
RH6 0PJ

You can also get to Gatwick Airport quite easily by train
From Ashford International take a London Charing Cross train to Tonbridge and change for a direct route to the Airport.
The journey time is approx 1hr 30min. The advantage of this is that the Airport Station is literally in the Airport, so carting around luggage from Car Parks etc. is avoided!
Use the National Rail Enquiry timetable for more detailed information on times.

There are many Taxi services in the Ashford area who do this trip quite often.

Being in the heart of Kent, Ashford was also a key place in both world conflicts.
Being a railway town with so many connections, it was attacked many times and the skys above this part of Kent were the scenes for The Battle of Britain.
But it's not like that now!

The good thing about Kent is that it's closer than most places to 'abroad'!!
You can read about Lydd Airport expansion proposals and it's possible effects on the local environment and economy here.

Closest Air Travel from Ashford, Kent

Although the major Airports are close, Ashford has some alternatives

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