Chromic acid anodising is the principal pretreatment applied to aluminium alloys during the construction of civil and military aircraft. The anodising process produces a thickened oxide film that provides a high degree of corrosion protection and a surface that will promote paint adhesion. However, concerns about the high toxicity and carcinogenic nature of chromates has led to a concerted effort to develop safer and more environmentally acceptable alternatives to chromic aid anodising. The approach adopted in this work has been to develop anodic films with high corrosion resistance by anodising aluminium alloys in sulphuric acid electrolytes that contain corrosion inhibitors. The corrosion inhibitors investigated included cerium (IV) sulphate, cerium (III) sulphate, potassium permanganate, sodium metavanadate, sodium orthovanadate, ammonium tetrathiotungstate and ammonium tetrathiomolybdate. The chemical composition of the anodic films was determined using Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. The analysis showed that the inhibitor metals could successful be incorporated into the anodic films using conventional anodising techniques, demonstrating the validity of this approach. The corrosion resistance of the anodic films produced was evaluated by exposing anodised specimens to continuous neutral salt spray. It was found that the time to pitting of anodic films produced from inhibited electrolytes is significantly higher than those found in the absence of inhibitors. The most effective inhibitors were Ce(4+), VO3(-), VO4(3-) and MnO4(-), all of which significantly improved the corrosion resistance of the anodic films.