Airport History

An airport at the heart of the community

Wick John O’Groats airport is located one nautical mile north of the town of Wick, in the far north-east of mainland Scotland. Owned and managed by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), the airport delivers air connections for the Caithness region.

The airport is also regularly used by helicopters servicing offshore oil and windfarm operations as well as light aircraft ferry flights between Europe and North America via Iceland.

The airport delivers a vital service for the local community offering an out of hours call out service for the Air Ambulance Service, coastguard, and police flights.

Once a Viking settlement, the area is also home to the Castle of Mey, a favourite residence of HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, now owned by King Charles III, who is a regular visitor to the Highlands. The airport has played a key role in the history of the area over the decades, specifically during wartime operations to prevent an enemy invasion at the isolated coastal location.

Originally a grass airfield, the airport was used by Captain E. E. Fresson's Highland Airways Ltd which later became Scottish Airways Ltd. from 1933 until 1939. Following requisition by the Air Ministry during World War II, it became RAF Wick with a satellite airfield at nearby Skitten, and home to No. 18 Group, RAF Coastal Command and No. 13 Group, RAF Fighter Command.

The airport can rightfully claim to having played a significant role in the fight against the German forces during the Second World War. It was from RAF Wick that a photographic reconnaissance Supermarine Spitfire piloted by Flying Officer Michael F. Suckling flew to Norway in search of the German battleship “Bismarck” on 21 May 1941.

This vessel represented a massive risk to the ships supplying Britain and Suckling found and photographed her, hiding in Grimstadfjord. Having taken images of the vessel from a long-range reconnaissance Spitfire, he returned to commanders in a daredevil night-time dash, leading to a major propaganda coup for Britain.

Another notable event during wartime was a reconnaissance sortie made from RAF Wick by pilot Sandy Gunn, who was shot down in his Spitfire over Norway. He became a prisoner of war, interrogated by the Gestapo, and sent to Stalag Luft III war camp and later participated in the “Great Escape”. Unfortunately, he was recaptured and was one of the fifty prisoners executed on the orders of Adolf Hitler.

In 2024, Wick John O’Groats airport hosted an event to launch “Caithness at War” a trail of information boards focusing on the military history across the local area. The boards are part of 46 installations around the area, explaining the role played in guarding against the threat of invasion during the war.

Following the war, the airfield was put under civilian control with Loganair providing scheduled services for a number of years, prior to Eastern Airways starting services in 2022.

The airport was renamed Wick John O’Groats in 2012 to mark its proximity to the UK’s most northerly mainland settlement and one of the country’s most famous landmarks. Each year, cyclists and walkers complete the Land’s End to John O’Groats challenge, covering the distance of 874 miles, with pictures at the infamous white signposts at the start and finish points.  

With far reaching views across the Pentland Firth to Orkney, the airport is certainly located in a spectacular setting with a fascinating history to match.