Weston Airport

History

Weston Aerodrome was founded in 1931 (licensed circa 1937) by Darby Kennedy, who, from 1946, operated a de Havilland Dragon and several Dragon Rapide aircraft commercially from the Weston flying field, operated under the name Weston Ltd. The charter flights took the biplane airliners to airfields across the United Kingdom. The commercial flight operation ceased in the late 1950s.

Also operated from the airfield was a flying school for private pilots with several de Havilland Tiger Moth trainer biplanes, an Auster high-wing monoplane and from 1960 two Morane-Saulnier-Rallye four-seater low-winged aeroplanes.

The airport was upgraded from a grass runway in the 1980s when a tarmac runway was laid.

The main terminal was completed in 2005 along with the control tower and other services..

Developed over many years by Jim Mansfield, the airport was taken over by the National Asset Management Agency in 2011.

In 2015, over 40 aircraft were based at Weston. The airport has 15 direct employees with another 100 indirect jobs arising from airport tenancies and related activities.

Popular culture

Several air displays have been held at the airport, and in 1966 Weston was used in filming the World War I air combat film, The Blue Max. The aircraft ground scenes were shot at the airfield, which is not to be confused with RAF Weston-on-the-Green, in England, which has no tarmac runway.

Location and Facilities

Weston Airport lies between Celbridge and Lucan, just off Exit 5 on the M4, on the R403 regional road. The Airport is located on approximately 250 acres of land and incorporates about 9000 m² of operations buildings, an air traffic control tower, and three large aircraft hangars. There is a restaurant and conference room. An aviation academy is currently under construction. The main flight school which operates from the airfield also has a Boeing 737 flight simulator, which is open for use by the public.