Kirkwall Airport
Airport in Orkney, Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kirkwall Airport (IATA: KOI, ICAO: EGPA) is the main airport serving Orkney in Scotland. It is located 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Kirkwall[1] and is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. The airport is used by Loganair.
Kirkwall Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | Kirkwall Airport | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  EGPA Location in Orkney | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||||||
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| Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] Statistics: UK Civil Aviation Authority[2][3] | |||||||||||||||
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.[4]
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),[9] located 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north west of Kirkwall.
The following Fleet Air Arm units were here at some point:[10]
- 800 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 801 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 807 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 824 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 825 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 825X Naval Air Squadron
- 826 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 841 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 842 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 846 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 848 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 849 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 880 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 881 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 882 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 884 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 887 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 894 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 899 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 1770 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 1834 Naval Air Squadron[8]
- 1840 Naval Air Squadron[8]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Loganair[11] | Aberdeen (Direct),[12] Edinburgh (Direct),[13] |
Cargo
Statistics and traffic
Annual traffic statistics
| Year | Terminal and Transit Passengers[d] | Air Transport Movements[e] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | % change | Movements | % change | Notes | |
| 2015 | 160,234 |  |
10,701 | |
|
| 2016 | 163,029 |  2% |
11,045 | 3% |
[22][23] |
| 2017 | 177,248 | 9% |
12,008 | 9% |
[22][24] |
| 2018 | 181,562 | 2% |
11,840 |  1% |
[25][26] |
| 2019 | 172,625 | 5% |
11,256 | 5% |
[25][27] |
| 2020 | 61,177 | 65% |
7,452 | 34% |
[28][29] |
| 2021 | 85,665 | 40% |
8,446 | 13% |
[28][30] |
| 2022 | 133,410 | 56% |
9,881 | 17% |
[31][32] |
| 2023 | 143,093 | 7% |
10,320 | 4% |
[31][33] |
| 2024 | 149,503 | 4% |
10,011 | 3% |
[2][34] |
| 2025 | 157,051 | 5% |
10,274 | 3% |
[2][3] |
Busiest routes
| 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.[36]
- 4 January 2025 - A man was jailed after repeatedly telling airport staff a friend of his was going to hijack an airplane and crash it into the airport. The threats were deemed 'not credible' by airport security.[37]
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).[38] 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".[39]
Artwork
The signage on the airport's terminal roof is written in runes. The symbols spell the word 'Krimsitir' or 'Grimsetter'[40][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.
