Stornoway Airport (IATA: SYY, ICAO: EGPO) (Scottish Gaelic: Port-adhair Steòrnabhaigh) is an airfield located 2 NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) east of the town of Stornoway[2] on the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland. The airfield was opened in 1937, and was then used mainly for military purposes. The Royal Air Force had an air base (RAF Stornoway) there during the Second World War and also from 1972 until 1998, when it was a NATO forward operating base. During the Cold War, from 1960 to 1983, the airfield was the home of 112 Signals Unit Stornoway (RAF). NATO aircraft used the airport for missions over the North Atlantic and for stopovers en route to Greenland and the United States.

Stornoway Airport

Port-adhair Steòrnabhaigh
Summary
Airport typeDomestic
Owner/OperatorHIAL
ServesStornoway, Outer Hebrides
LocationIsle of Lewis
Elevation AMSL26 ft / 8 m
Coordinates58°12′56″N 006°19′52″W / 58.21556°N 6.33111°W / 58.21556; -6.33111
WebsiteStornoway Airport
Map
SYY is located in Outer Hebrides
SYY
SYY
Location in Outer Hebrides
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24[1] 1,000 3,281 Asphalt
18/36 2,315 7,595 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Passengers102,331
Passenger Change 21-22Increase63%
Aircraft Movements (2022)4,516
Movements Change 21-22Increase40%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[2]
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[3]

Stornoway Airport is owned by HIAL, a company controlled by the Scottish Government.[4]

Nowadays the airfield is mainly used for domestic passenger services. The Royal Mail have a daily mail flight. Bristow Helicopters operate helicopters equipped for search and rescue, on behalf of His Majesty's Coastguard. There are privately owned light aircraft based at the airport.

The airport has been used for cross-wind training of large jets, including the Airbus A350.[5] It was also visited in 2008 by future President of the United States Donald Trump, using a private Boeing 727.[6]

Airline and destinations edit

Passenger edit

AirlinesDestinations
Hebridean Air Services Benbecula[7]
Loganair Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Manchester (via Inverness), Southampton (via Glasgow or Edinburgh)[8][9][10]

Statistics edit

Annual passenger traffic at SYY airport. See Wikidata query.
Busiest routes to and from Stornoway (2022)[11]
Rank Airport Total
passengers
Change
2021 / 22
1 Glasgow 61,736   86.9%
2 Inverness 17,769   40.2%
3 Edinburgh 16,566   115.8%
4 Benbecula 5,009   31.5%

Accident and incidents edit

  • On 8 December 1983, a Cessna Citation I (G-UESS) crashed into the sea on approach to Stornoway Airport, killing all 10 passengers and crew.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "EUROCONTROL - the European AIS Database: Introduction to EAD Basic - Home" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b Stornoway - EGPO
  3. ^ UK Annual Airport Statistics
  4. ^ "Highlands and Islands airports". transport.gov.scot. Transport Scotland. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Airbus A350 in training exercise at Stornoway Airport". BBC News. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Donald Trump pays visit to ancestral home". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  7. ^ "New airline Hebridean Air Services taking off with improved Stornoway - Benbecula timetable". Hebrides News. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Enhanced connectivity from Stornoway to Southampton".
  9. ^ "Why Loganair is Unhappy with easyJet's New Southampton-Glasgow Route". 30 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Airline offering cheaper flights in Southampton Airport sale". 21 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Airport Data 2022". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 21 March 2023. Tables 12.1(XLS) and 12.2 (XLS). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  12. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 500 Citation I G-UESS Stornoway Airport (SYY)".

External links edit