Kirkwall_Airport
Kirkwall Airport
Airport in Orkney, Scotland
Kirkwall Airport (IATA: KOI, ICAO: EGPA) (Scottish Gaelic: Port-adhair Bhaile na h-Eaglais) is the main airport serving Orkney in Scotland. It is located 2.5 NM (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) southeast of Kirkwall[1] and is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. The airport is used by Loganair.
Kirkwall Airport Port-adhair Bhaile na h-Eaglais | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | HIAL | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Mainland, Orkney | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Kirkwall | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for | Loganair | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 58 ft / 18 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 58°57′29″N 002°54′02″W | ||||||||||||||
| Website | Kirkwall Airport | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||||||
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Foundation
The airport was built and commissioned in 1940 as RAF Grimsetter for the defence of the Scapa Flow naval base. In 1943, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm took over, as RNAS Grimsetter then HMS Robin. Control passed in 1948 to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and in 1986 to Highlands and Islands Airports.[3]
Royal Air Force
The following RAF units were here at some point:
Royal Navy
On 6 July 1943, RAF Grimsetter was transferred on loan to the Admiralty and known as Royal Naval Air Station Grimsetter (RNAS Grimsetter). On 15 August, it was commissioned as HMS Robin, as a satellite to RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk),[8] located 1 mi (1.6 km) to the north west of Kirkwall.
The following Fleet Air Arm units were here at some point:[9]
- 800 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 801 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 807 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 824 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 825 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 825X Naval Air Squadron
- 826 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 841 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 842 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 846 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 848 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 849 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 880 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 881 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 882 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 884 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 887 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 894 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 899 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 1770 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 1834 Naval Air Squadron[7]
- 1840 Naval Air Squadron[7]
Green energy
Hydrogen production by electrolysis of water was well under way in late 2020 in Orkney, where clean energy sources (wind, waves, tides) were generating excess electricity that could be used to produce hydrogen gas (H2).[10] A plan was under way at Kirkwall Airport to add a hydrogen combustion engine system to the heating system in order to reduce the significant emissions that were created with older technology that heated buildings and water. This was part of the plan formulated by the Scottish government for the Highlands and Islands "to become the world's first net zero aviation region by 2040".[11]
Passenger
The following airlines operate regular scheduled flights to and from Kirkwall:
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Royal Mail[13] | Aberdeen, Sumburgh, Inverness |
Annual traffic statistics
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Year | Passengers handled | Aircraft movements | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % change | No. | % change | |
| 2015 | 160,234 |  |
10,701 | |
| 2016 | 163,029 |  1.7% |
11,045 | 3.2% |
| 2017 | 177,248 | 9% |
14,754 | 8.7% |
| 2018 | 181,562 | 2.4% |
14,771 | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 171,603 |  5.9% |
14,247 | 3.5% |
| 2020 | 63,113 | 63.2% |
9,498 | 33.3% |
| 2021 | 85,665 | 35.7% |
9,574 | 17.0% |
| 2022 | 133,410 | 56.0% |
9,876 | 18.0% |
Busiest routes
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | Change 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdeen | 40,953 | 38.5% |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 33,119 | 158.5% |
| 3 | Glasgow | 15,813 | 123.3% |
| 4 | Sumburgh | 7,727 | 22.1% |
| 5 | Inverness | 5,772 | 113.6% |
| 6 | North Ronaldsay | 5,531 | 10.1% |
| 7 | Papa Westray | 4,595 | 16.3% |
| 8 | Westray | 3,216 | 15.6% |
| 9 | Sanday | 3,002 | 17.7% |
| 10 | Stronsay | 2,995 | 14.7% |
| 11 | Eday | 302 | 2.0% |
- 25 October 1979 – A Vickers Viscount G-BFYZ of Alidair was damaged beyond economic repair when the aircraft departed the runway after #4 propeller struck the runway. The nosewheel collapsed when the aircraft reached an intersecting runway.[16]
Citations
- "Kirkwall – EGPA". Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- "UK airport data". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- "Kirkwall Airport: About Us". Highlands and Islands Airports. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- Jefford 1988, p. 58.
- Jefford 1988, p. 59.
- Jefford 1988, p. 75.
- "Grimsetter (Kirkwall)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- "R.N.A.S. Grimsetter". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 365.
- "How hydrogen is transforming these tiny Scottish islands". BBC News. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- "Green hydrogen set to decarbonise airport". Hydrogen East. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- hial.co.uk - Destinations from Kirkwall Airport retrieved 9 March 2024
- "Loganair secures new Royal Mail contract". BBC News. 31 January 2017.
- "Airport data 2020 | UK Civil Aviation Authority". caa.co.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
Bibliography
- Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
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