Birmingham Airport鈥檚 historic first terminal building has been saved from being bulldozed, can announce.
Opened by the Duchess of Kent in 1939, the iconic building has now been given a protected status thanks to Historic England.
Made famous for its over-hanging canopies which resembled aeroplane wings, the Elmdon - which is also known as the Art Deco terminal - was last used in 1984.
Since then, though, it has specialised in private flight for wealthy individuals, VIPs and royalty as well as being used as offices for airport staff until its closure earlier this year.
In April, meanwhile, avid campaigners launched an online petition calling for the airport to either fix and restore the building or hand it over to an organisation for protection.
And Historic England has done exactly that, listing the Art Deco terminal at Grade II - joining the likes of Plymouth鈥檚 Royal Theatre to bring the number of listed buildings and sites in England to 400,000.
Grade II listed buildings are classed as buildings that are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them.
Simon Richards, acting managing director at Birmingham Airport, said: 鈥淲e fully support the awarding of Grade II status for Elmdon in recognition of this historical building鈥檚 importance within the local community.
鈥淭he original terminal building when the airport first opened in 1939, it is a celebration of our aviation history, in an era where air travel was at its most glamorous.
鈥淲e would like to thank all those at Historic England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who were involved in making this happen.鈥
During its heyday, the original terminal building housed a public bar, tea lounge and restaurant - and its concrete 鈥榳ings鈥 provided cover to passengers below and balconies for viewing flights.
Speaking in April, leading campaigner Chris Shaw, said: 鈥淎ircraft enthusiasts would be in heaven with the views of the airfield.
鈥淪choolchildren would also love visiting. Many Midlanders recall flying from the terminal, eating at the skyways restaurant on the balcony watching the flights come and go.
鈥淭his was aviation in its infancy.鈥
Chris also said: 鈥淲e acknowledge the building is a headache for the airport but, at the same time, we believe we cannot let such a unique and historic building rot until the bulldozers are moved in.鈥
