A picture gallery of Gatwick through the ages and a timeline of key events has been published today to mark the 80th anniversary of the first commercial flight from the airport.
The first flight was to Paris with the single fare costing 4 pounds 5 shillings – the equivalent today is approximately £160 – including the first class train fare from London Victoria.
The French capital was one of just five scheduled routes served from the airport in its first year of operation, the others being Malmö, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Copenhagen.
Pictured clockwise from top left: John F Kennedy and Harold McMillan, George Michael, Princess Diana, Lily Cole, Pope John Paul II
The number of routes at Gatwick has grown since then with the airport serving more than 200 destinations in 90 countries today.
Gatwick has played host to many prominent figures over the eight decades including Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana and John F Kennedy plus key aviation milestones including the first Virgin Atlantic flight taking off from the airport in June 1984.