Aberdeen International Airport

About Aberdeen International Airport

Aberdeen International Airport is the main airport for the north-east of Scotland. It sits on the A96 at Dyce, about 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Aberdeen city centre, and it is closely linked to the region's energy industry.

UK Civil Aviation Authority figures show 2,301,943 terminal passengers in 2025, slightly more than in 2024. Fixed-wing aircraft use the main runway, 16/34, which is 1,953 metres long with an asphalt surface. There are also several shorter runways for helicopters.

Aberdeen is also one of Europe's busiest commercial heliports, supporting oil, gas and energy installations in the North Sea. Bristow, CHC, NHV and OHS each have a helicopter terminal on the airport site. In 2024, 352,406 offshore passengers passed through these four terminals.

Aberdeen International Airport Limited runs the airport as part of AGS Airports, which AviAlliance bought in January 2025. AGS Airports also operates Glasgow Airport.

How to get to Aberdeen International Airport

By bus and coach

The Stagecoach Jet 727 is the main bus to the city centre. At the airport, buses leave from stance 1 directly outside the main terminal. In the city, they depart from Union Square Bus Station (stance 3). Since 2026 the revised 727 has run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, between Portlethen and the airport. First Aberdeen also runs buses between the airport and the city. The timetabled journey is about 30 minutes, and fewer buses run at night and at weekends.

By train

The airport has no station of its own. The nearest is Dyce, about two miles from the terminal, which is a short bus or taxi ride away. Trains from Dyce take about ten minutes to reach Aberdeen.

By road

The airport is on the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road near Dyce, and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) is close by. In normal traffic the drive to central Aberdeen takes about 15 minutes. On-site parking includes short stay, long stay, priority and dedicated offshore parking, with electric vehicle charging and drop-off options. Taxis wait at the rank outside the main terminal, and car hire desks are in the Car Park Village.

Terminal and facilities

Airline passengers use one main terminal. Services include:

• Northern Lights Executive Lounge: a bookable lounge on the first floor near gate 1, with views of the runway and food and drink from north-east Scotland.
• British Airways Lounge: for eligible British Airways passengers. It was scheduled to close for refurbishment from 1 June to 30 September 2026, with eligible passengers using the Northern Lights lounge in the meantime.
• Priority security: can be booked in advance. A priority passport lane is also available to arriving passengers.
• Special assistance: available to passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility.
• Energy industry workers: dedicated information, priority security options and offshore parking deals.
• Other services: Wi-Fi and a text message enquiry service.

Airlines and destinations

The airport's route network caters for business travellers and the energy sector as well as holidaymakers. Airlines operating in 2026 are Aer Lingus, airBaltic, British Airways, easyJet, KLM, Loganair, Ryanair, SAS, TUI, Widerøe and Wizz Air.

Within the UK, flights go to London (Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton), Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast City, Newcastle and Norwich, as well as to Kirkwall, Sumburgh and Wick in the far north of Scotland. For international connections there are flights to hubs such as Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Dublin and Copenhagen. Links with Norway and Denmark, including Bergen, Stavanger and Esbjerg, matter to the energy industry. Leisure destinations include Alicante, Malaga, Palma, Faro, Tenerife, Corfu and Dalaman, and some routes are seasonal.

History

The airport opened as Dyce Airport on 28 July 1934. It was founded by the aviation pioneer Eric Gandar Dower. The RAF took control in 1939. After the war scheduled services gradually expanded, with civil flights mainly serving the Northern Isles. The discovery of North Sea oil in 1967 changed the airport: Bristow flew the first offshore helicopter flight that year, and Aberdeen grew into a major helicopter centre.

A new passenger terminal opened in 1977 and has since been expanded and refurbished. In 2005 the airport was given permission to open 24 hours a day, and a 124-metre runway extension opened in October 2011. Passenger numbers reached a record 3.5 million in 2013. BAA sold the airport in 2014 to AGS, a consortium of Ferrovial and Macquarie, and AviAlliance completed its purchase of AGS Airports in January 2025.