A HERITAGE hangar which will see Spitfires return to Biggin Hill is to be officially launched next month.

It is hoped the hangar, opening on May 2, will put the former RAF fighter station back on the aviation map following the demise of the popular Biggin Hill Air Fair.

With further Spitfires scheduled to arrive over the coming months, for now there will be a Spitfire Mark 9, called the Spirit of Kent, another Mark 9 known as the Borough of Bromley, a Mark IA and a Mark 16 Spitfire.

While not yet open to the public, there could be the possibility of visitors viewing the planes by appointment.

Biggin Hill-based Spitfires played a major role in the Battle of Britain, and plans are also afoot to open a heritage centre next to the airport in 2015.