| Kirkwall Airport | |
| Image2-Width: | 250 |
| Iata: | KOI |
| Icao: | EGPA |
| Type: | Public |
| Owner-Oper: | HIAL |
| City-Served: | Mainland, Orkney |
| Location: | Kirkwall |
| Elevation-F: | 58 |
| Elevation-M: | 18 |
| Coordinates: | 58.9581°N -2.9006°W |
| Pushpin Map: | Scotland Orkney |
| Pushpin Label: | EGPA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Orkney |
| Website: | Kirkwall Airport |
| Metric-Rwy: | Y |
| R1-Number: | 09/27 |
| R1-Length-F: | 4,692 |
| R1-Length-M: | 1,430 |
| R1-Surface: | Grooved asphalt |
| R2-Number: | 14/32 |
| R2-Length-F: | 2,221 |
| R2-Length-M: | 677 |
| R2-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat-Year: | 2022 |
| Stat1-Header: | Passengers |
| Stat1-Data: | 143,093 |
| Stat2-Header: | Passenger change 2022–23 |
| Stat2-Data: | 7.3% |
| Stat3-Header: | Aircraft movements |
| Stat3-Data: | 11,443 |
| Stat4-Header: | Movements change 2022–23 |
| Stat4-Data: | 2.7% |
| Footnotes: | Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2] |
Kirkwall Airport is the main airport serving Orkney in Scotland. It is located 2.5NM southeast of Kirkwall[1] and is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. The airport is used by Loganair.
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. 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.[3]
The following RAF units were here at some point:
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),[4] located to the north west of Kirkwall.
The following Fleet Air Arm units were here at some point:
The following airlines operate regular scheduled flights to and from Kirkwall: