Edinburgh Airport Port-adhair Dhùn Èideann | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Global Infrastructure Partners | ||||||||||
Operator | Edinburgh Airport Ltd. | ||||||||||
Serves | Edinburgh | ||||||||||
Location | Ingliston, Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||
Opened | 19 May 1947 | ||||||||||
Built | 1916 (as RAF Turnhouse) | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 136 ft / 41 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 55°57′00″N003°22′21″W / 55.95000°N 3.37250°W | ||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Edinburgh Airport( IATA : EDI, ICAO : EGPH) is an international airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2019, handling over 14.7 million passengers. It was also the sixth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom by total passengers in 2019. It is located 5 NM (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) [1] west of the city centre, just off the M8 and M9 motorways. It is owned and operated by Global Infrastructure Partners, which is also a minority shareholder of Gatwick Airport. [3] The airport has one runway and one passenger terminal and employs about 2,500 people.
Turnhouse Aerodrome was the northernmost British air defence base in World War I used by the Royal Flying Corps. The small base opened in 1916 [4] and it was used to house the 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron from 1925, which consisted of DH 9As, Westland Wapitis, Hawker Harts, and Hawker Hind light bombers. All the aircraft used a grass airstrip.
In 1918 the Royal Air Force was formed and the airfield was named RAF Turnhouse and ownership was transferred to the Air Ministry.
When the Second World War broke out, RAF Fighter Command took control over the airfield and a runway of 3,900 ft (1,189 m) was paved to handle the Supermarine Spitfire. During the Battle of Britain, 3, 65, and 141 Squadrons were present at the airbase.
When the war ended the airfield remained under military control. It was officially opened for commercial traffic on 19 May 1947. The first commercial flight to use the airport was a British European Airways service from London (Northolt) to Shetland, with Edinburgh and Aberdeen being intermediate stopping points. The aircraft was an 18-seat Douglas C47. [5]
In 1952, the runway was extended to 6000 ft to handle the Vampire FB5s operated by the resident 603 Squadron, and an aircraft arresting barrier net was installed to protect traffic on the adjacent A9 road.[ citation needed ] The net remained in place until the early 1970s and was used to stop one of the Ferranti Flying Unit Buccaneers which had overrun the runway. A further use was in 1970 when a Meteor TT20, operated by the RN Fleet Requirement Unit, overran the runway and ended up in the net. In 1956, a new passenger terminal was built to provide an improved commercial service; five years later it was extended.[ citation needed ] After the disbandment of the 603 Squadron in March 1957, the Air Ministry transferred ownership to the Ministry of Aviation in 1960 to offer improved commercial service to the airport. Flying was temporarily diverted to East Fortune, which had its runway extended to accommodate the airliners of the period.[ citation needed ]
The British Airports Authority (BAA) took over ownership of the airport on 1 April 1971 at a time when the original terminal building was running at about eight times its design capacity. Immediate improvements to the terminal were cosmetic, such as extra seating and TV monitors for flight information, and it took two years for plans to be proposed for a completely new terminal and runway redesign. Public consultation on planning started in November 1971 and ended in February 1972. The initial stages of the redevelopment began in June 1973; they included a diversion of the River Almond. Work on the new terminal building, designed by Sir Robert Matthew, started in March 1975, and the building was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 27 May 1977, [6] opening to the public two days later.
Although the original main runway 13/31 (which is now 12/30) served the airport well, its alignment (NW-SE) had the disadvantage of suffering from severe crosswinds, and the other two minor runways were very short and could not be readily extended, so movements were transferred to a new runway (07/25, which has since become 06/24) in an addition completely outside the original airfield boundary. This runway, completed in 1977, is 2,556 m (8,386 ft) in length, and was able to take all modern airliners including Concorde. A new terminal was built alongside the runway to cater for the additional traffic. The old terminal and hangars were converted into a cargo centre.
International service from Edinburgh began in 1962 with direct service to Dublin, but for many years international flights were charter and private only. This started to change during the late 1970s, with direct services to continental Europe (Amsterdam, 1975). By the mid-1980s direct routes included Paris, Düsseldorf, Brussels, Frankfurt and Copenhagen, but direct transatlantic flights were not yet possible as Glasgow-Prestwick was the only "designated gateway" in Scotland under the US-UK Bermuda II Agreement. [7] By the time BAA had been privatised in 1987, Edinburgh Airport handled over 1.8 million passengers each year; compared to the 681,000 passengers handled in 1971 when BAA first took control of the airport. [8]
RAF Turnhouse was operational near the passenger terminal of the airport for all of the post-war period but was finally closed in 1997. [9]
Since the original terminal upgrade in 1977, there have been major reconstructions, including extensions of the two passenger terminal aprons and a major expansion of car parking facilities, including a multi-storey car park in 2004. In 2005, a new 57-metre-tall (187 ft) air traffic control tower was completed for £10m. An extension to the terminal called the South East Pier opened in September 2006. This extension initially added six gates on a new pier to the southeast of the original building. A further four gates were added to the South East Pier at the end of 2008.
On 19 October 2011, BAA Limited announced its intention to sell the airport, following a decision by the UK's Competition Commission requiring BAA to sell either Glasgow Airport or Edinburgh Airport. [10] BAA announced on 23 April 2012 that it had sold Edinburgh Airport to Global Infrastructure Partners for a price of £807.2 million, equivalent to £1014 million in 2021. [11]
In 2013, a further extension to the passenger terminal was announced, taking the terminal building up to the Edinburgh Airport tram stop. The Edinburgh Trams opening in May 2014 created the first rail connection to Edinburgh Airport. Whilst the number of passengers has increased, the number of flights decreased in 2014 due to planes operating at a higher capacity. [12] Passenger traffic at Edinburgh Airport reached a record level in 2015 with over 11.1 million passengers [13] and over 109,000 aircraft movements. [2] The terminal building is currently being expanded with an investment of £40m. A new £25m expansion project involving the construction of a new 6,000 m2 building, housing a security hall and retail areas, is also currently underway at the airport. On 23 February 2016, Ryanair announced a growth of 20% in passenger numbers, bringing the airline's annual passenger capacity at Edinburgh Airport to 2.5 million. This was coupled with the news of six new services to Ryanair's winter schedule from Edinburgh and more services on its popular European destinations. In February 2016, consultancy firm Biggar Economics announced that Edinburgh Airport contributes almost £1 billion annually to the Scottish economy. [14] As part of the expansion works, Runway 12/30 was officially withdrawn from use on 29 March 2018.
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and cargo flights to and from Edinburgh: [15]
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
DHL Aviation [40] | East Midlands, Leipzig/Halle |
FedEx Express [41] | Paris–Charles de Gaulle |
Royal Mail [42] | Aberdeen, Inverness |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Year | Number of passengers [nb 1] | Number of aircraft movements [nb 2] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | 1,578,000 | 36,926 | ||
1986 | 1,651,000 | 36,596 | ||
1987 | 1,852,000 | 39,603 | ||
1988 | 2,080,000 | 40,664 | ||
1989 | 2,369,000 | 47,100 | ||
1990 | 2,495,000 | 47,900 | ||
1991 | 2,343,000 | 49,700 | ||
1992 | 2,539,000 | 56,400 | ||
1993 | 2,721,000 | 58,800 | ||
1994 | 3,001,000 | 61,100 | ||
1995 | 3,280,000 | 64,000 | ||
1996 | 3,810,000 | 68,800 | ||
1997 | 4,214,919 | 99,352 | ||
1998 | 4,588,507 | 100,134 | ||
1999 | 5,119,258 | 101,226 | ||
2000 | 5,519,372 | 102,393 | ||
2001 | 6,067,333 | 112,361 | ||
2002 | 6,930,649 | 118,416 | ||
2003 | 7,481,454 | 118,943 | ||
2004 | 8,017,547 | 125,317 | ||
2005 | 8,456,739 | 127,122 | ||
2006 | 8,611,345 | 126,914 | ||
2007 | 9,047,558 | 128,172 | ||
2008 | 9,006,702 | 125,550 | ||
2009 | 9,049,355 | 115,969 | ||
2010 | 8,596,715 | 108,997 | ||
2011 | 9,385,245 | 113,357 | ||
2012 | 9,195,061 | 110,288 | ||
2013 | 9,775,443 | 111,736 | ||
2014 | 10,160,004 | 109,545 | ||
2015 | 11,114,587 | 115,286 | ||
2016 | 12,348,425 | 122,220 | ||
2017 | 13,410,256 | 128,675 | ||
2018 | 14,310,403 | 130,016 | ||
2019 | 14,747,830 | 131,617 | ||
2020 | 3,478,501 | 45,966 | ||
2021 | 3,024,960 | 34,165 | ||
2022 | 11,250,211 | 93,004 | ||
Source:United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority [43] |
The changes shown in the table are from an exceptionally low base, due to COVID.
Rank | Destination | Passengers | Change 2021 to 2022 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Dublin | 572,050 | 263% |
2 | Amsterdam | 471,698 | 259% |
3 | Paris-Charles de Gaulle | 307,322 | 398% |
4 | Tenerife-South | 285,021 | 314% |
5 | Alicante | 210,523 | 382% |
6 | Frankfurt | 192,170 | 359% |
7 | Palma de Mallorca | 190,095 | 392% |
8 | Copenhagen | 180,360 | 504% |
9 | Barcelona | 179,948 | 397% |
10 | Málaga | 170,871 | 421% |
Source: CAA Statistics [44] |
Transport at Edinburgh Airport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Several operators provide bus services from the airport:
The airport lies on the A8 road, and can be reached by the M8 motorway and the M9 motorway. The airport can also be reached from the M90 motorway via the Queensferry Crossing.
The airport has no dedicated railway station. However, it is served by the nearby Edinburgh Gateway station, which serves as an interchange with Edinburgh Trams services to the airport. [49] The tram line also connects the airport to the nearby Edinburgh Park railway station. [50]
A more expensive Edinburgh Airport Rail Link project to provide a direct heavy rail link was cancelled in 2007 due to increasing costs. [51]
The airport is served by Edinburgh Trams, a light rail link.
The line from the airport travels eastwards through the western suburbs and the city centre of Edinburgh before heading north onto Leith eventually terminating at Newhaven.
Preceding station | Edinburgh Trams | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Ingliston Park & Ride towards Newhaven | Newhaven - Edinburgh Airport | Terminus |
On 20 July 1970, a Hawker Siddeley HS-125-3B (G-AXPS) operated by the Imperial Tobacco Company crashed on takeoff from Turnhouse on an empty positioning flight to Newcastle. The aircraft was a total loss and whilst the pilot was uninjured, the copilot was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The probable cause of the crash was thought to be the application of an incorrect rudder following a simulated engine failure on take-off. The reason for this application of an incorrect rudder has not been determined. [52] [53]
A De Havilland Moth Minor (G-AFOZ) crashed at Turnhouse during a low-level display on 3 May 1975. One of the two occupants died in the hospital the following day. [54]
On 27 February 2001, a Loganair Shorts 360 (G-BNMT) operating a Royal Mail flight to Belfast, crashed into the Firth of Forth shortly after taking off from Edinburgh at 1730 GMT. Both crew members were killed, but there were no passengers on board. A fatal accident inquiry later blamed a buildup of slush in the aircraft's engines before the crash. A protective covering had not been fitted to the engine intakes while the aircraft was parked at Edinburgh for several hours in heavy snow. [55] [56]
London Stansted Airport is the tertiary international airport serving London, England. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, 42 mi (68 km) northeast of Central London.
London Gatwick, also known as Gatwick Airport, is the secondary international airport serving London, England, United Kingdom. It is located near Crawley, West Sussex, England 29.5 miles (47.5 km) south of Central London. In 2022, Gatwick was the second-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after Heathrow Airport, and was the 8th-busiest in Europe by total passenger traffic. It covers a total area of 674 hectares.
Marrakesh Menara Airport is an international airport serving Marrakesh, the capital city of the Marrakesh-Safi region in Morocco. It is an international facility that receives several European flights as well as flights from Casablanca, some of the Arab world nations and from 2024, flights from North America. The airport served over 6.3 million passengers in 2019.
Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, and also known as Barcelona-El Prat Airport, is an international airport located 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of the centre of Barcelona, lying in the municipalities of El Prat de Llobregat, Viladecans, and Sant Boi, in Catalonia, Spain.
Stockholm Arlanda Airport is an international airport located in the Sigtuna Municipality of Sweden, near the town of Märsta, 37 kilometres (23 mi) north of Stockholm and nearly 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of Uppsala. The airport is located within Stockholm County and the province of Uppland. It is the largest airport in Sweden and the third-largest airport in the Nordic countries. The airport is the major gateway to international air travel for large parts of Sweden. Arlanda Airport was used by nearly 27 million passengers in 2017, with 21.2 million international passengers and 5.5 million domestic. The facility covers an expanse of about 2,500 hectares (9.7 sq mi) of airport property.
Rome–Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino International Airport, commonly known as Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, is an international airport in Fiumicino, Italy, serving Rome. It is the busiest airport in the country, the 9th busiest airport in Europe and the world's 46th-busiest airport with over 40.5 million passengers served in 2023. It covers an area of 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi).
Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2022, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passengers and the 19th busiest airport in Europe in 2023, with 28.1 million passengers served.
Glasgow Airport, also known as Glasgow International Airport, formerly Abbotsinch Airport, is an international airport in Scotland. It is located in Paisley, Renfrewshire, 8.6 nautical miles west of Glasgow city centre. In 2019, the airport handled 8.84 million passengers, an 8.4% annual decrease, making it the second-busiest in Scotland, after Edinburgh Airport, and the ninth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom.
Václav Havel Airport Prague, formerly Prague Ruzyně International Airport, is an international airport of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The airport was founded in 1937, when it replaced the Kbely Airport. It was reconstructed and extended in 1956, 1968, 1997, and 2006. In 2012, it was renamed after the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel. It is located at the edge of the Prague-Ruzyně area, next to Kněževes village, 12 km (7 mi) west of the centre of Prague and 12 km (7 mi) southeast of the city of Kladno.
Göteborg Landvetter Airport is an international airport serving the Gothenburg region in Sweden. With just over 6.8 million passengers in 2018 it is Sweden's second-largest airport after Stockholm–Arlanda. Landvetter is also an important freight airport. During 2007, 60.1 thousand tonnes of air cargo passed through Landvetter, about 60% of the capacity of Arlanda.
Agadir–Al Massira Airport is an international airport serving Agadir, a major city in southwest Morocco and the capital of Souss-Massa region. The airport is located in the commune of Temsia, 20 km southeast of Agadir proper. In 2007, Al Massira International Airport served 1,502,094 passengers. In later years, Agadir and its tourism boomed, having new flights introduced to Al Massira from new airports in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
City of Derry Airport, previously known as RAF Eglinton and Londonderry Eglinton Airport, is a regional airport located 7 mi (11 km) northeast of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is located on the south bank of Lough Foyle, a short distance from the village of Eglinton and 8 mi (13 km) from the city centre.
Varna Airport is the airport of Varna, the historical maritime capital of Bulgaria. Varna Airport is the third largest airport in Bulgaria. It is located 10 kilometers from the center of Varna near the town of Aksakovo. The airport serves Varna, Golden Sands and northeastern Bulgaria. The busiest season for the airport is from the end of May to the beginning of October.
Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras", or Diagoras International Airport, is located on the West side of the island of Rhodes in Greece. The facility is located just north of the village Paradeisi, about 14 km southwest of the capital city, Rodos. Rhodes International Airport was the fourth busiest airport in Greece as of 2019, with 5,542,567 passengers utilizing the airport.
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, formerly known as Budapest Ferihegy International Airport and still commonly called just Ferihegy, is the international airport serving the Hungarian capital city of Budapest. It is by far the largest of the country's four commercial airports, ahead of Debrecen and Hévíz–Balaton. The airport is located 16 kilometres southeast of the centre of Budapest and was renamed in 2011 in honour of the famous Hungarian composer Franz Liszt on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth. The facility covers 1,515 hectares and has two runways.
Málaga Airport, officially Málaga–Costa del Sol Airport since June 2011, is the fourth busiest airport in Spain after Madrid–Barajas, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. It is significant for Spanish tourism as the main international airport serving the Costa del Sol. It is 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of Málaga and 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Torremolinos. The airport has flight connections to over 60 countries worldwide, and over 14.4 million passengers passed through it in 2015. In 2017, 18.6 million passengers passed through Málaga Airport.
Dubrovnik Ruđer Bošković Airport, also referred to as Čilipi Airport, is the international airport of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The airport is located approximately 15.5 km (9.5 mi) from Dubrovnik city center, near Čilipi. It was the third-busiest airport in Croatia in 2019 after Zagreb Airport and Split Airport in terms of passenger throughput. It has the country's longest runway, allowing it to accommodate heavy long-haul aircraft. The airport is a major destination for leisure flights during the European summer holiday season.
Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport is an airport serving the city of Bari in Italy. It is approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) northwest from the town centre. Named after Pope John Paul II, who was born Karol Wojtyła, the airport is also known as Palese Airport after a nearby neighbourhood. The airport handled 6,461,179 passengers in 2023.
Kaunas Airport is the second-busiest civil airport in Lithuania after Vilnius Airport and the fourth-busiest in the Baltic states. The airport is located in the central part of the country, 14 km (8.7 mi) northeast of the Kaunas city centre and 100 km west from the capital Vilnius.
Palma de Mallorca Airport is an international airport located 8 km (5.0 mi) east of Palma, Mallorca, Spain, adjacent to the village of Can Pastilla. In 2020, the airport handled 6.1 million passengers, making it the third busiest airport in Spain, after Madrid–Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat. The airport is the main base for the Spanish carrier Air Europa and also a focus airport for Eurowings, EasyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair and Vueling. The airport shares runways with the nearby Son Sant Joan Air Force Base, operated by the Spanish Air and Space Force.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)