One month later Short Brothers, who had started building aircraft in 1909 on the Isle of Sheppey, asked for permission to lease the land for test flying and thus began the privileged relationship between the local authority and the aviation industry.

The inaugural flight into Rochester was from Gravesend, with John Parker flying their Short Scion, G-ACJI, powered by Pobjoy engines.

Civilian services started with flights from Rochester to Southend Airport in June 1934 at a cost of 12 shillings (60p) for the return trip.

Short Brothers continued to build seaplanes on the Esplanade at Rochester supplying the growing market for flying boats.

In 1979 the lease reverted to the council and after giving thorough consideration to closing the airport the General Electric Company plc comprising Marconi Electronic Systems and instrument makers Elliott Automation decided to take over management of the airport maintaining two runways as grass whilst releasing some land for light industrial expansion.

The historic site of Rochester Airport was saved from closure for the short term by the efforts of this group of local business people, in the face of pressure by the Labour controlled Local Council to re-zone the airport site as Industrial Development land.

Significant voluntary work has contributed to the financial viability of Rochester Airport which has been operated on a care and maintenance basis in light of the difficulty in securing a proper lease.

The airport now had a five-year lease, outside of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, which expired in January 2009, and entered a crucial phase of negotiation with Medway Council.

Precise details of how the council proposesd to finance the scheme prior to the development plans being implemented was unclear.

Local ward councillors were very enthusiastic about the proposals and once they are implemented should see the Airport being available for use for a greater part of the year due to an all-weather surface being planned for the 02/20 runway.

The council lost and the aerodrome operator had to make a new application which again incurred significant expense in order to satisfy the judge's ruling that an Environmental Impact Study should made.