The Kamikaze arrives at Croydon Airport in London. It is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.
Kamikaze (1937 aircraft)
Kamikaze was a Mitsubishi Ki-15 Karigane airplane, sponsored by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. It became famous on April 9, 1937, as the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly from Japan to Europe. The flight from Tokyo to London took 51 hours, 17 minutes and 23 seconds and was piloted by Masaaki Iinuma (1912–1941), with Kenji Tsukagoshi (1900–1943) serving as navigator.
Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport was the UK's only international airport during the interwar period. It opened in 1920, located near Croydon, then part of Surrey. Built in a Neoclassical style, it was developed as Britain's main airport, handling more cargo, mail, and passengers than any other UK airport at the time. Innovations at the site included the world's first air traffic control, the first airport terminal and the world's first airport hotel. It was home to Britain's first national airline, Imperial Airways, founded through a government sponsored four-airline merger in 1924. During World War II the airport was named RAF Croydon as its role changed to that of a fighter airfield during the Battle of Britain; and in 1943 RAF Transport Command was founded at the site, which used the airport to transport thousands of troops into and out of Europe.