People have been sharing their memories of a very special visitor flying in to the region as Humberside Airport celebrates its 50th birthday. Grimsby Live recently published a story recalling the unforgettable days in the 1990s when Concorde landed in North Lincolnshire for a series of unique visits, including huge air shows that attracted tens of thousands of people to the Kirmington airfield. Humberside Airport has recently marked half a century of serving the region after the first light aircraft touched down on March 26, 1974. Since then, the former RAF base has helped more than 10 million passengers reached their destination and hosted hundreds of thousands of aircraft movements. READ MORE: All the stores that were in Grimsby's Freshney Place in the early 1990s The futuristic hovercrafts that took passengers across the Humber more than 50 years ago However, there was one particular feat of aeronautical engineering that consistently drew a crowd around three decades ago. Delving into the local archives, a Grimsby Evening Telegraph report from June 1992 previewed what was being billed as "the biggest day" in Humberside Airport's then 18-year history. Shortly before 10am on Sunday, June 14, a
British Airways Concorde was to touch down at the airport for a day-long visit which was arranged to mark the opening of a new £8-million runway extension. Around 100 passengers were to fly in from
London before another 100 got on just after noon for a supersonic flight over the North Sea. The passengers had paid £475 a head for the flight (equivalent to about £1,000 in 2024) and were to be treated to lunch while travelling at twice the speed of sound. During its visit, Concorde also flew over Grimsby, Scunthorpe, the Humber Bridge and Hull for onlookers to see. Another flight was to leave later that afternoon with another 100 passengers as it flew back to Heathrow. All 300 tickets were sold to readers of the Grimsby and Scunthorpe Evening Telegraphs, Hull Daily Mail and Lincolnshire Echo, and were snapped up within a matter of days. Among those who flew on Concorde that day were Gordon and Val Peck, of Waltham. “We have always been nervous of flying before now and this has been our first flight”, Valerie told the Grimsby Evening Telegraph. "I always said that the only plane I would ever fly on would be Concorde." Gordon added: “We saw the trip advertised and thought it’s now or never!” A preview for the 1994 Humberside Airport Concorde Extravaganza showing the itinerary for the day (Image: Hull Daily Mail archive) Meanwhile, first-time flier Gemma Harrison, 9, of Keelby, summed up the feelings of the Concorde passengers. She told the Telegraph: "This has been the best day of my life so far!" Gemma made the supersonic flight with her sister Vicky, 13, mum Susan and dad Alan for the flight. Susan added: “It was absolutely fantastic!” Gemma and Vicky admitted they had a touch of the pre-flight nerves. “I was a bit nervous beforehand”, said Vicky. “But once we were up in the air I felt a lot better.” A much larger event welcomed back the supersonic aircraft the following year - Concorde Extravaganza '93. Taking place on Sunday, July 4, it was a full-on air show, open day and business exhibition rolled into one. It came on the back of Concorde's spectacular visit in 1992 which was "so popular we actually had to discourage people from coming to the airport", managing director Bill Savage told the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph at the time. It was to be different in 1993 though, as he added: "This year we are closing our second runway, giving over half of the aerodrome's grassed area to the event and actively encouraging people to come to the airport." While in 1992, Concorde was the sole star of the show, this time there was more to see including Team Toyota Aerobatics, the Cadbury's Crunchie Flying Circus - featuring
Boeing Stearman bi-planes - and a flypast from the Red Arrows. There was also a "kilometre" of stalls and other attractions. The roaring sound of the supersonic legend was starting to become almost normal by 1994 when Concorde once again returned to Humberside after the 1993 airshow established itself as "the region's largest single-day event". Taking place on Sunday, July 3, it was again a major event with more than 37,000 people heading to the airport for an entire day of aerial displays from the likes of the Red Arrows and the Red Devils parachute team. Dozens of attractions were on offer back on the ground including a full-size karting circuit, bungee jumping, classic cars, a craft fair and more. Advertisement for the 1993 Concorde flights from Humberside Airport (Image: Grimsby Telegraph archive) The Concorde Extravaganza returned on Sunday, August 6, 1995, again accompanied by a number of other displays including the Battle of
Britain Memorial Flight. Organisers promised this time round visitors "will be able to get a close-up view of Concorde" during a "marvellous family day at their local airport" with a "fun fair of entertainments and trade displays". Concorde was back once more on Sunday, July 21, 1996, though there was no big air show on that occasion. Instead, a special viewing area was set up to allow spectators to get a good view of the two landings and two take-offs. Those who chose to fly had the option of taking a supersonic return flight from Humberside for £599 (equal to around £1,150 in 2024) with champagne and dining, while a cheaper option for £299 (£575 in 2024) was a subsonic flight from or to Heathrow with another special charter flight on a different aircraft getting you to London or back home depending on which one you were on. This was something of an upgrade from previous visits where coach travel to and from London was typically on offer instead. Further Concorde flights from Humberside took place on Sunday, July 27, 1997 - the price now up to £659 for the supersonic experience - but the era of those spectacular air shows had come to an end. Of course, the memories live on - here are a selection of comments from Grimsby Live readers after we published the original story in March ... Sally Green: "I remember that and that same day we had a pleasure flight booked for our son’s birthday so we were able to sit on the grass and watch Concorde land - we loved it." Nick Henton: "I was there - my mum and dad had organised it as a day out for us as a surprise for me. From what I remember, there were thousands of people on the infield and the roads outside were gridlocked. It was a magical day for me as a 10 year old." Vic Stothard: "Remember being stood right at the end of the runway, great view and sound when it took off right over us." Danny Berriman: "I was there, it was awesome. Special for me as I learned to fly at Humberside Airport." Judy Brown: "We were sat in a field at end of runway - Brocklesby park steam rally. Sat down and flew directly over. Beautiful, the past and present. Concorde lands at Humberside Airport in the 1990s. The supersonic jet made annual visits to northern Lincolnshire for a time (Image: Grimsby Telegraph archive) Join the FREE Grimsby Live
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