Airport History

An airport in an ancient landscape with a very modern outlook

Kirkwall Airport serves the Orkney islands, which is an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland, with Kirkwall. Kirkwall itself is the most populous island settlement in Scotland, and its name comes from the Norse name Kirkjuvágr, meaning ‘church bay’. The strong links to Norse heritage are marked on the current airport terminal building, where runic symbols spell the word 'Krimsitir' or 'Grimsetter, which is the name of the bay close to the airfield.

The airfield at Kirkwall was originally built on farmland and commissioned as RAF Grimsetter in 1940. It formed part of defences for the Scapa Flow naval base, which was best known as a base for the Royal Navy during both the First and Second World Wars.  

Ownership passed to the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm in July 1943 when it became Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Grimsetter, named for the bay close to the airfield location. In August that year, it was commissioned as HMS Robin, as a satellite to nearby RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk). In 1948 the Ministry of Civil Aviation took control with ownership passing to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) in 1986.

“Kirkwall Airport plays a vital role for the local community, supporting access to the mainland for medical appointments, visiting friends and family and for business,” says Jamie Conley, Airport Manager for Kirkwall.  Having joined the Airport Fire Service at HIAL in 2014 at Dundee Airport, Jamie has progressed through the ranks as Airport Fire & Operations Manager at Sumburgh and then to his current role, which he took up in November 2024. At present, he is also acting as Interim Airport Manager for Wick John O’Groats using the experience he has gained through his eleven-year career with the organisation. 

Loganair operates scheduled flights to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness as well as inter-island flights to the neighbouring islands of Eday, North Ronaldsay, Sanday, Stronsay along with the world’s shortest scheduled passenger flight between Westray and Papa Westray.

Flights connecting Sumburgh on Shetland to London Heathrow via Kirkwall and Dundee connect the islands to world-wide destinations. Passenger figures for 2024-25 were just under 138,000 and in the current year, passenger figures are showing strong growth.

Jamie stated, “Kirkwall Airport is a key base for the Oil and Gas industry, providing a vital refuelling point for aircraft transporting crews to offshore rigs. The airport also supports the Scottish Ambulance Service’s air ambulance operations and HM Coastguard’s Search and Rescue activities.”

In 2024, a £5 million project replaced the Aeronautical Ground Lighting (AGL) with more energy efficient LED lights on both runways at Kirkwall. Work also included the introduction of a ring of red lighting for Runway 09/27 to help prevent runway incursions. As well as ensuring continued compliance with the Civil Aviation Authority, the AGL project is contributing to a reduction in energy consumption of up to 80%.

Kirkwall Airport has been used as a location as part of the Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) including the first hybrid electric flights by Ampaire, crossing the Pentland Firth from Kirkwall Airport to Wick John O’Groats Airport in August 2021. Trials have also included autonomous flights between Kirkwall and North Ronaldsay in collaboration with Royal Mail and Windracers Ltd.

HIAL’s aim is to decarbonise its airport operations, and the airport worked with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) who led a trial to introduce hydrogen to meet the power and heat demands of the airport.

The system was the first 100% hydrogen combined heat and power (CHP) unit of its kind to be installed in the UK. It was positioned airside at Kirkwall Airport and subsequently coupled with the airport’s existing heating system to supply heat to the main terminal building and power across the entire site.

The completion of this trial marks a step toward assessing the real-world feasibility of integrating hydrogen technologies with airport infrastructure. The insights gained will contribute to wider efforts to explore low-carbon solutions across aviation and other sectors.

Kirkwall Airport also played a key role in the Orkney 2025 International Island Games this summer, with over 1,500 passengers travelling through the airport during the weekend at the end of the sporting event in July. The games brought together athletes from 24 island groups from across the world to compete in 12 different sports including swimming, squash, triathlon and sailing.   Jamie Conley praised the local team saying “The games were a fantastic example of the team really pulling together to make sure that the competitors, coaches, supporters and volunteers could get to and from the island. We were proud to play our role in making the event such as success.”