Lyddair (LYD, Lydd) is set to see its home base, Lydd, transformed into the British capital's seventh airport gateway after London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, London City, London Southend, and London Luton.

Located 112km east of London in Kent, the aerodrome, also known as London Ashford, will be upgraded to an international airport as part of a GBP25 million (USD38.08 million) investment.

"We want to offer local people the chance to go on holiday or business from their local airport without the hassle and expense of flying from the London Airports which are becoming increasingly congested along with the roads that serve them," the airport's operator London Ashford Airport Ltd. said.

Plans for a 294m extension to Lydd's 1'505m-long runway 03/21 with a 150m starter extension and a new passenger terminal were finally given the go-ahead by the UK Secretaries of State for Transport and Communities and Local Government in April 2013 following a 7 year planning process.

A new terminal is to be constructed capable of handling 500'000 passengers per annum while the extended runway will allow the airfield to handle commercial A319-100 and B737 flights.