Cryptopolytech (CPT) Public Press Pass (PPP)
News of the Day COVERAGE
200000048 – World Newser
•| #World |•| #Online |•| #Media |•| #Outlet |
View more Headlines & Breaking News here, as covered by cryptopolytech.com
Stansted Airport celebrates 80th birthday of its runway appeared on www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk by Sinead Corr.
Stansted Airport is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its runway, which started life as an American military base during the Second World War.
George Washington Field, as it was known then, officially opened in 1943 and played a significant role in the war effort.
The airfield became the 9th largest US Air Force base in East Anglia, home to four B-26 Marauder squadrons from the 344th Bomb Group, known as the ‘Silver Streaks’.
Despite not being fully operational until the summer of 1943, the runway had its first unexpected visitor on February 26 that year, when a battle-damaged RAF Short Sterling bomber made an emergency landing after returning from an air raid.
On D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, the ‘Silver Streaks’ led 600 aircraft over the beaches of France, earning them the Distinguished Unit Citation.
A total of 140 missions were flown from the airfield by the bomb group before it relocated to France at the end of 1944.
After the war, the site was handed back to the Civil Aviation Authority and became a civilian airport.
Fast-forward to today, it is now home to leading airlines, including Ryanair, Jet2.com and Emirates, and flies to more than 200 destinations in Europe and the Middle East. It is London’s third busiest airport, serving more than 26 million passengers a year.
To continue its American connections, Stansted and its runway have welcomed Air Force One and US Presidents on seven occasions since 2008 for visits to the UK.
The runway, which was extended in the 1950s to its current length of 3.048km (1.8 miles), recently underwent a full refurbishment. During the five-month project, engineers laid 50,000 tonnes of asphalt and replaced 700 runway lights with energy-efficient LEDs.
Gareth Powell, Stansted’s managing director, said: “Stansted is very proud of its past and the critical role the airfield played during World War Two as a US Air Force base.
“It’s amazing to now look back and acknowledge those early efforts have ultimately culminated in the Stansted Airport we see today.
“Back then, US engineers would have been unaware that thanks to their skill and expertise, Stansted would 80 years later be one of the busiest airports in the country, serving over 26 million passengers a year through one of the world’s most iconic terminal buildings.”
As part of the anniversary celebrations, the airport is holding a competition on social media with the chance to win £800 of travel vouchers.
FEATURED ‘News of the Day’, as reported by public domain newswires.
View ALL Headlines & Breaking News here.
Source Information (if available)
This article originally appeared on www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk by Sinead Corr – sharing via newswires in the public domain, repeatedly. News articles have become eerily similar to manufacturer descriptions.
We will happily entertain any content removal requests, simply reach out to us. In the interim, please perform due diligence and place any content you deem “privileged” behind a subscription and/or paywall.
CPT (CryptoPolyTech) PPP (Public Press Pass) Coverage features stories and headlines you may not otherwise see due to the manipulation of mass media.
First to share? If share image does not populate, please close the share box & re-open or reload page to load the image, Thanks!