The origins of the site, which was once an active aerodrome, date back to 1922 when it was proposed that a municipal airfield be constructed to serve the nearby towns of Blackburn and Preston.

Many aircraft passed through before redelivery to the RAF, or for onward sale to the air forces of, for example, Argentina, Rhodesia, India, Venezuela, Peru and Ethiopia.

After the war Samlesbury Engineering took over some of English Electric's buildings and, as well as producing parts for the aviation industry, was supporting the LAC Halifaxes and Haltons that were heavily involved in the Berlin Airlift in 1948–49.

[6] After this, Samlesbury Engineering diversified into building buses,[7] coaches and trucks,[8] but the business started to run down and they returned the hangars to English Electric and took over Burnley Aircraft Products, moving into their premises on the south side of the airfield.

[9] With Samlesbury Engineering's specialist aviation and vehicle experience, in 1954 they built the turbojet-powered Bluebird K7 hydroplane for Donald Campbell's water speed record runs.

[10][11] Immediately after WW2, RAF No.1 Gliding School moved into Samlesbury, flying Slingsby Cadet TX.1 and TX.3, Grunau Baby and Sedburgh TX.1 gliders.

EE never charged them, and allowed use of hangars on Friday and Saturday nights to store gliders for their weekend flying.

The current site, which employs over 3,000 people, builds the fuselage and other parts for the Eurofighter Typhoon and other aircraft including the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and the McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk.

BAE's Academy for Skills & Knowledge (ASK) training building now occupies the eastern end of the main runway.

[25] The Lightning was painted in generic RAF aircraft markings as worn after return from the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) where it bore serial 53-672.

This was returned to the United Kingdom around 1986 (with 2,305 flying hours) when British Aerospace sold Tornado aircraft to the RSAF as part of the Al Yamamah deal.

[27] Until November 2009 there was also a Canberra PR.7 (WT537) as a gate guard but this was removed for restoration at the (now closed) RAF Millom Aviation and Military Museum at Haverigg, Cumbria.

[29] Several new roads on the site have been named after significant people in British aviation, including Roy Chadwick Way, Sir Frederick Page Way and Petter Court.