Wick Airport

Wick John O' Groats Airport
Summary
Airport type Private
Owner/Operator Highlands and Islands Airports Limited
Serves Wick, Highland
Location Wick, Highland
Elevation AMSL 126 ft / 38 m
Coordinates 58°27′32″N 003°05′35″W / 58.45889°N 3.09306°W / 58.45889; -3.09306Coordinates: 58°27′32″N 003°05′35″W / 58.45889°N 3.09306°W / 58.45889; -3.09306
Website hial.co.uk
Map
EGPC
Location in Highland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13/31 1,825 5,988 Grooved Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passengers 17,697
Passenger change 16–17 Decrease12%
Aircraft Movements 3,827
Movements change 16–17 Decrease13.6%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1]
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

Wick John O' Groats Airport (IATA: WIC, ICAO: EGPC) is located 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) north of the town of Wick in Caithness at the north-eastern extremity of the mainland of Scotland. It is owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. The airport provides air travel connections for Caithness, with scheduled services to Aberdeen Airport and Edinburgh Airport. It is also regularly used by helicopters servicing local offshore oil operations, and as a stop-over by light aircraft ferry flights between Europe and North America via Iceland.

History

Wick was originally a grass airfield, used by Captain E. E. Fresson's Highland Airways Ltd. (later Scottish Airways Ltd.) from 1933 until 1939.

Requisitioned by the Air Ministry during World War II, the airfield was extended with hard runways, hangars, and other buildings. The airfield was administered by No. 18 Group, RAF Coastal Command. A satellite airfield existed at RAF Skitten. On 21 May 1941, a photographic reconnaissance Supermarine Spitfire piloted by Flying Officer Michael F. Suckling took off from Wick, and flew to Norway, in search of the German battleship Bismarck. If Bismarck was to break out into the North Atlantic, she would present a significant risk to the ships supplying Britain. 320 miles to the east of Wick, F/O Suckling found and photographed her, hiding in Grimstadfjord.[3] This information enabled the Royal Navy to order HMS Hood and other ships, as well as aircraft, to take positions intended to track Bismarck, and prevent her from entering the North Atlantic. In ensuing battles, Hood was sunk, and, later, Bismarck. German battleships and battle cruisers never again entered the North Atlantic.

Airlines and destinations

The airport is served by Loganair, which operates a daily service (excluding Saturdays) to Edinburgh. Certain days have two flights timetabled. Flybe operates twice daily to Aberdeen.

AirlinesDestinations
Flybe Aberdeen
Loganair Edinburgh

Statistics

Busiest routes to and from Wick Airport in 2017[2]
RankAirportPassengers handled2016-2017 Change
1 Scotland - Edinburgh Airport11,142Decrease4.0%
2 Scotland - Aberdeen Airport6,833Increase19.8%

References

  1. ↑ Wick - EGPC
  2. 1 2 UK Airport Statistics: 2017 - annual
  3. ↑ Conyers, Roy (2003). Eyes of the RAF. Sutton Publishing. p. 118. ISBN 0750932562.
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 1980. ISBN 0-85130-083-9.

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