Islay Airport
Islay Airport Port-adhair Ìle | |||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Operator | Highlands and Islands Airports Limited | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Islay | ||||||||||||||
Location | Glenegedale, Argyll and Bute | ||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 56 ft / 17 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 55°41′00″N 006°15′35″W / 55.68333°N 6.25972°W | ||||||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2018) | |||||||||||||||
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Islay Airport (IATA: ILY, ICAO: EGPI) (also known as Glenegedale Airport) is located 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 kilometres; 5.2 statute miles) north-northwest of Port Ellen[1] on the island of Islay in Argyll and Bute, off the west coast of Scotland. It is a small rural airport owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. Today the airport is used for scheduled services to the Scottish mainland, and for air ambulances.
History
The first airports were built in Islay in the 1930s, although these were just grass strips. In 1940, during World War II, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill ordered military airports to be constructed in the western islands of Scotland, both to defend against a German assault on the Scottish mainland and also to provide reconnaissance planes a base to fly missions over the Atlantic Ocean. The present Islay airport was constructed as RAF Port Ellen in 1940, and received a concrete runway in 1942. During World War II, over 1,500 Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel were stationed at RAF Port Ellen.[3]
On 29 June 1994, the Prince of Wales made headlines when he overshot the runway while landing a BAe 146 of No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron of the RAF on the runway of the airport. No one was injured, however the plane was badly damaged.[4][5]
Airlines and destinations
Airlines | Destinations |
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Hebridean Air Services | Colonsay, Oban^ |
Loganair | Edinburgh,[6][7] Glasgow |
- Notes
Statistics
Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | 2017-2018 Change |
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1 | ![]() |
32,763 | ![]() |
See also
References
- ^ a b Islay - EGPI
- ^ "PROVISIONAL CAA AIRPORT STATISTICS FOR DECEMBER 2015" (PDF). UK Civil Aviation Authority. 22 January 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ Shaw, Robbie (January–February 2015). "Serving the Southern Hebrides". Airports of the World. No. 57. Key Publishing Ltd. pp. 80–83.
- ^ Prince gives up flying royal aircraft
- ^ Official report [archive.org]
- ^ https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2018/10/31/loganair-expands-at-edinburgh/
- ^ https://www.loganair.co.uk/
- ^ https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/UK-Airport-data/Airport-data-2018/
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website for Islay Airport