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Kirkwall Airport
Kirkwall Airport
	IATA: KOI; ICAO: EGPA;
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	HIAL
Serves	Mainland, Orkney
Location	Kirkwall, Scotland
Elevation AMSL	58 ft / 18 m
Coordinates	58°57′29″N 002°54′02″W / 58.95806°N 2.90056°W
Website	Kirkwall Airport
Map
	EGPA Location in Orkney
Runways
Statistics (2022)
Passengers
Passengers	143,093
Passenger change 2022–23	7.3%
Aircraft movements	11,443
Movements change 2022–23	2.7%
	Sources: UK AIP at NATS; Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Kirkwall Airport (IATA: KOI, ICAO: EGPA) 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.

History

Foundation

The airport was built and commissioned in 1940 as Royal Air Force Grimsetter , or simply RAF Grimsetter, for the defence of the Scapa Flow naval base. It took its name from the farm of Grimsetter, which the airfield was built over. In 1943, the Royal Navy took over the airbase and it was known as Royal Naval Air Station Grimsetter, commonly referred to as RNAS Grimsetter, later commissioned as HMS Robin and used by the Fleet Air Arm. 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 mile (1.6 km) to the north west of Kirkwall.

The following Fleet Air Arm units were here at some point:^[9]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled flights to and from Kirkwall:

Airlines	Destinations
Loganair^[10]	Aberdeen, Belfast–City,^[a]^[11] Dundee,^[12] Eday,^[13] Edinburgh,^[14] Glasgow, Inverness, London-Heathrow,^[b]^[15] Manchester,^[c]^[11] North Ronaldsay,^[16] Papa Westray,^[17] Sanday,^[18] Stronsay,^[19] Sumburgh, Westray^[20] Seasonal: Fair Isle,^[21] Bergen^[d]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Royal Mail^[22]	Glasgow, Sumburgh

Statistics and traffic

Annual traffic statistics

Traffic statistics at Kirkwall^[23]
Year	Passengers handled		Aircraft movements
Year	No.	% change	No.	% change
2015	160,234		10,701
2016	163,029	1.7%	11,045	3.2%
2017	177,248	9.0%	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	40.0%	11,114	17.0%
2022	133,410	55.7%	11,758	5.8%
2023	143,093	7.3%	11,443	2.7%

Busiest routes

Busiest routes to and from Kirkwall (2023)^[24]
Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	Change 2022–23
1	Aberdeen	42,821	5.0%
2	Edinburgh	38,277	16.0%
3	Glasgow	17,340	10.0%
4	Sumburgh	6,171	20.0%
5	North Ronaldsay	5,903	7.0%
6	Inverness	5,251	9.0%
7	Westray	4,891	2.0%
8	Papa Westray	4,595	16.3%
9	Sanday	3,211	7.0%
10	Stronsay	3,033	1.0%
11	Heathrow	2,600
12	Eday	523	73.0%
13	London City	231
14	Dundee	209

Accidents and incidents

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.^[25]

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).^[26] 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".^[27]

Artwork

The airport is notable for the signage on the terminal roof written in runes. The symbols spell the word 'Krimsitir' or 'Grimsetter'^[28]^{[better source needed]}, the name of the bay next to which the airfield is located, which was similarly the name of the former RAF base and the name of the farm upon which the airfield was built.

Notes

^ Belfast–City service is a continuation of the Inverness service as the same flight number
^ London Heathrow service is a continuation of the Dundee service as the same flight number
^ Manchester service is a continuation of the Inverness service as the same flight number
^ Bergen service is a continuation of the Inverness service as the same flight number

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b "Nats UK | AIP".
^ "UK airport data". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 17 July 2024.
^ "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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w "Grimsetter (Kirkwall)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
^ "Grimsetter". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 365.
^ hial.co.uk - Destinations from Kirkwall Airport retrieved 9 March 2024
^ ^a ^b {{cite web|url=https://orcadian.co.uk/belfast-and-manchester-added-to-kirkwalls-flight-schedule/
^ Liu, Jim. "UK NS23 New Routes Addition Summary – 25DEC22". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
^ https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/T/internal-air-services.htm ^{[bare URL]}
^ Liu, Jim. "Loganair NS24 Service Changes – 25FEB24". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
^ Liu, Jim. "Loganair Moves Derry / Dundee – London Service to Heathrow From May 2023". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
^ https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/T/internal-air-services.htm ^{[bare URL]}
^ https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/T/internal-air-services.htm ^{[bare URL]}
^ https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/T/internal-air-services.htm ^{[bare URL]}
^ https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/T/internal-air-services.htm ^{[bare URL]}
^ https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/T/internal-air-services.htm ^{[bare URL]}
^ "Loganair relaunches Kirkwall to Fair Isle flights - ADS Advance".
^ "Loganair secures new Royal Mail contract". BBC News. 31 January 2017.
^ "UK airport data | UK Civil Aviation Authority". caa.co.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
^ "Annual airport data 2023 | Civil Aviation Authority".
^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
^ "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. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ "Kirkwall Airport, Orkney: Memories from a Neighbor".

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.