Long-serving staff reflect as airport turns 60

"The noise of the aircraft and especially the smell of the aviation fuel still reminds me of childhood holidays."

Tina Dennis started working at East Midlands Airport (EMA) 36 years ago, and has completed a variety of roles in her long career, which was inspired by plane spotting with her father at the site.

The airport began operating exactly 60 years ago, on 2 April 1965, before it was officially opened three months later by the Duke of Edinburgh - and now runs routes to 185 cities worldwide.

Over that time, EMA has been visited by supersonic aircraft Concorde and become a major pure cargo hub due to its central location.

Tina said her interest in aviation started as a child when she went plane spotting with her dad, Colin Dakin.

"I used to go out on the perimeter at Castle Donington," she said.

"Especially on a Sunday afternoon and we used to plane spot. Many an hour I spent down there watching planes."

Tina is now an air traffic control assistant and despite her decades at the airport, she says she still loves the atmosphere there.

"We used to go to Ibiza a lot when I was younger and walking down the steps of the aircraft and today I just love that aircraft fuel smell," Tina added.

From small beginnings in 1965, when the first British Midland flight took off from EMA to Glasgow, the airport is now used by millions of commercial passengers each year.

The site was developed from RAF Castle Donington - which was used as a training centre during World War Two - due to its proximity to where the M1 motorway was scheduled to be built.

Being close to the centre of England, along with the increasing sales of goods online, it was reported that the airport was second only to Heathrow in terms of freight transport.

During its first year of operation, 114,888 passengers used the airport, compared to four million passengers who now travel through EMA annually.

One of the longest serving members of staff, Tony Hall, who has worked at the airport for 42 years, says EMA "is still very, very friendly as it always has been".

The 76-year-old has reduced his hours, but still works as an aviation security officer, helping passengers through the process of bag searches and body scans.

He says it can be the most stressful part of travel for people, but a smile helps them cope.

"I think we try to keep it friendly for the passengers to come through, which is what's nice and what's kept me here," Tony said.

He says regular passengers and other staff joke about his long career at the airport, and the fact he is still working there.

Tony added: "Some people keep taking bets on when I'm going to leave, but I can't see it happening in the near future."

Speaking ahead of its milestone, the airport said it had refurbished its security hall, which is also being extended to accommodate new scanning equipment.

The airport's rapid drop-off area has also undergone a redesign, as EMA attempts to improve the layout to aid traffic flow and pedestrian experience.

EMA's managing director Steve Griffiths added: "It's fantastic that so much is under way to bring significant improvements for our customers in our diamond anniversary year."

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