When people think of Cardiff Airport, they automatically think of its current location in Rhoose - but it wasn't always there. Before it found its current home, Cardiff Municipal Airport could be found at RAF Pengam Moors, in Tremorfa.
The land has a rich history of aviation as Ernest Willows built his first airship there. Willows also flew to London in 1910, making him the first person to fly across the Bristol Channel in a powered aircraft.
It was during the Second World War that the site became RAF Pengam Moors, and was used as an emergency landing field for aircraft damaged in air battles over the Bristol Channel after nightly German raids.
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After the war, the airfield was handed back to Cardiff City Council and was used for civilian flights until it was made redundant in 1954 and services were moved to the newly-expanded Rhoose Airport which had a much larger runway capable of handling bigger passenger aircraft. The airport was then used sparely until it was closed down completely in 1960.
Since Cardiff Airport moved to Rhoose, the airport has had its fair share of ups and downs. The 1970s the supersonic Concorde aircraft made a handful of journeys to the airport. And in the 1980s the airport's name was changed to Cardiff-Wales airport and its runway lengthened by almost 230 metres - in a bid to attract newer aircrafts and more flights. The airport was then privatised in 1995 - however it was re-nationalised in 2013 - with the Welsh Government paying a reported £52 million to take it back into public hands. Since then the airport has managed to attract new flights and routes - however during the Covid pandemic passenger numbers in 2020-21 dropped to their lowest levels since the 1950s and they initially struggled to recover.
Meanwhile, there are still a few signs left at Pengam highlighting its aviation past. The site is now home to a Tesco Extra store, while a housing development has streets with names such as Runway Road, De Havilland Road, Handley Road and Avro Close are the only hints at what was previously there.
Although there are almost no signs remaining of its former use, apart from a few of the original buildings and road layouts still remain. Residential streets on the site bear names that hint at its history - including Runway Road.
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