RAF Southampton RAF Southampton was a World War I military base in the United Kingdom , located 3 . 5 NM ( 6 . 5 km ; 4 . 0 mi ) north north - east of Southampton , in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire , England . It is now known as Southampston Airport . History . The airport ' s runway is built over the remains of a Roman villa . It was excavated in May 1925 but the villa had been robbed of much of its material . The site ' s connection with aviation can be traced back to 1910 when pioneer pilot Edwin Rowland Moon used the meadows belonging to North Stoneham Farm as a take - off and landing spot for his monoplane , Moonbeam Mk II . In 2010 , the airport arranged a series of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first flight at the airport . During the First World War , when forces from the United States Navy arrived in 1917 , work on the building of hangars began . At the peak of the American presence , some 4 , 000 officers and men were billeted in tents and huts along the adjacent London to Southampton railway line . After that war , the site became a transit camp for refugees , mainly Russian , who were anxious to sail to America from the port of Southampton . The shipping companies Cunard and White Star Line ( the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company ) together with the Canadian Pacific Railway formed the " Atlantic Park Hostel Company " to house them temporarily . In 1921 the hangars were converted into dormitories , kitchens and dining rooms . The hostel was intended to be a short - term clearing house for those trans - migrants changing ships , but following changes to US immigration law which restricted entry to the United States under national origins quotas , some residents were forced to stay much longer . In 1924 about 980 Ukrainian Jewish would - be emigrants were cared for at the hostel . Some of them were still there seven years later , stranded between the US and UK which would not accept them , and unable to return the countries they had fled . Atlantic Park had a school , library , and synagogue while the refugees formed football teams that played local sides and took part in local events , such as Eastleigh carnival . At the height of its use 20 , 000 passed through Atlantic Park in 1928 but then figures started to fall away , leading to the closure of the hostel in 1931 . In 1932 Southampton Corporation purchased the site and it became " Southampton Municipal Airport " . By 1935 part of the site was being used by the Fleet Air Arm of the RAF and was briefly known as RAF Eastleigh before it became RAF Southampton in 1936 . The military site was transferred to Naval command in 1939 and renamed HMS Raven , and subsequently spent most of the war in a ground and air training role for the Royal Navy . It eventually passed back into civilian ownership in April 1946 . During the 1950s a mainstay of business for the airport was the Cross channel car ferry service operated by Silver City Airways using Bristol Freighter s and Superfreighters . In 1965 a new concrete runway was built , opening for use in 1966 , enabling the operation of larger aircraft . In 1936 Supermarine opened a test flight facility on the site , followed shortly thereafter by the opening of the Cunliffe - Owen Aircraft factory on the southern end of the runway . Both companies later closed their Southampton operations , Supermarine moving flying activities to Chilbolton , and the Cunliffe - Owen factory being acquired by Briggs Motor Bodies during 1949 - 1951 who were taken over by Ford in 1953 . This factory is still in use , although now located off - field due to the opening of the M27 motorway in 1983 . The Cierva Autogiro Company rented portions of the Cunliffe - Owen plants starting in 1946 , and had to move to another location on the field when it was acquired by Briggs . In 1951 Saunders - Roe ( commonly abbreviated Saro ) took over the interests of Cierva Autogyro and built a rotor testing building on the eastern side of the airfield , which is now derelict . They continued operations on the field until about 1960 . Southampton airport only has one main ground handler which is Swissport ( Servisair ) , who took over from Aviance . They handle all passenger services and ramp operations for all airlines except for Aurigny Air services who operate their own ground handling , Links with the Spitfire . On 5 March 1936 the first test flight of the Supermarine Spitfire took place at the airport , an event commemorated in 2004 by the erection of a near - full size sculpture of K5054 , the prototype Spitfire , at the road entrance . On 5 March 2006 five restored Spitfires took off from Southampton Airport to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first test flight of the Spitfire . There are plans , supported by the local council , to rename the airport after R . J . Mitchell , designer of the Spitfire . However , the decision rests with BAA Limited .