Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is an international airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located west of the city centre, just off the M8 and M9 motorways. It is owned and operated by Edinburgh Airport Limited.
The airport is the busiest in Scotland based on passenger numbers, with 15.8 million passengers flying from the airport in 2024, a 10% increase on passenger numbers from 2023. A total of 35 airlines use the airport to fly to over 152 international destinations. As well as being the busiest airport in Scotland, it is the sixth busiest airport in the United Kingdom.
History
Early years
In 1916, Turnhouse Aerodrome opened as the northernmost British air defence base in World War I used by the Royal Flying Corps.In 1918, the Royal Air Force was formed and the airfield was named RAF Turnhouse and ownership was transferred to the Air Ministry.
From 1925, the small base was used to house the 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, which consisted of DH 9As, Westland Wapitis, Hawker Harts, and Hawker Hind light bombers. All the aircraft used a grass airstrip.
In 1939, when the Second World War broke out, RAF Fighter Command took control over the airfield and a runway of was paved to handle the Supermarine Spitfire. During the Battle of Britain, 3 Squadron RAF|3], 65 Squadron RAF|65], and 141 Squadron RAF|141] Squadrons were present at the airbase.
Post-Second World War
After 1945, when WW2 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 to Shetland, with Edinburgh and Aberdeen being intermediate stopping points. The aircraft was an 18-seat Douglas C47.BAA ownership
On 1 April 1971, the British Airports Authority took over ownership of the airport, 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.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. 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. 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.
RAF Turnhouse was operational near the passenger terminal of the airport for all of the post-war period but was finally closed in 1997.
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. 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 £ million in.
GIP ownership
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. Passenger traffic at Edinburgh Airport reached a record level in 2015 with over 11.1 million passengers and over 109,000 aircraft movements.A new £25million expansion project involving the construction of a new building, housing a security hall and retail areas, was also completed.
In February 2016, consultancy firm Biggar Economics announced that Edinburgh Airport contributes almost £1 billion annually to the Scottish economy. As part of the expansion works, Runway 12/30 was officially withdrawn from use on 29 March 2018.
VINCI ownership
On 17 April 2024, Vinci SA announced that it had reached an agreement with GIP to acquire a 50.01% shareholding of the airport for £1.27 billion, with GIP retaining 49.99%. The transaction was concluded on 25 June 2024.In December 2024, Edinburgh Airport became the first in Scotland to record over 15 million passengers in a calendar year.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
The following airlines operate regular scheduled flights to and from Edinburgh:Ground transport
Bus
| Operator | Destinations | Ref. |
| Lothian Buses | Edinburgh | |
| Scottish Citylink | Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Lothian | |
| Stagecoach East Scotland | Fife |
Road
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.Train
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. The tram line also connects the airport to the nearby Edinburgh Park railway station.A more extensive Edinburgh Airport Rail Link project to provide a direct heavy rail link was cancelled in 2007 due to increasing costs.
Tram
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 to Leith, eventually terminating at Newhaven.
Accidents and incidents
- On 20 July 1970, a Hawker Siddeley HS-125-3B 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.
- A De Havilland Moth Minor crashed at Turnhouse during a low-level display on 3 May 1975. One of the two occupants died in the hospital the following day.
- On 27 February 2001, Loganair flight 670A, a Shorts 360 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.