Kirkwall Airport

About Kirkwall Airport

Kirkwall Airport (IATA: KOI, ICAO: EGPA) is the main airport for the Orkney Islands. It sits at Grimsetter on Mainland Orkney, about 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Kirkwall, and connects Orkney with mainland Scotland and Shetland. It is also the base for Loganair's inter-island flights to six of Orkney's smaller North Isles.

The airport is operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), a company wholly owned by the Scottish Ministers. UK Civil Aviation Authority figures show 146,946 terminal passengers in 2025, making Kirkwall the third busiest HIAL airport after Inverness and Sumburgh.

Kirkwall has two asphalt runways: the main runway, 09/27, is 1,424 metres long, and the shorter 14/32 measures 677 metres. The airfield began as a wartime fighter station protecting the naval anchorage at Scapa Flow.

How to get to Kirkwall Airport

By road

The airport lies on the A960, a short drive south-east of Kirkwall. Short and long stay parking is available on site, a short walk from the terminal building, along with a free drop-off zone. Accessible and Blue Badge parking is provided, and Blue Badge holders park free of charge when travelling off the island. Under certain conditions, NHS patients and inter-island passengers from the North Isles can also park without charge. There is one electric vehicle charging point in the main car park near the exit barrier, and the two pay stations, at the terminal entrance and in the car park shelter, accept cash and card.

Taxis serve the airport, but HIAL recommends booking one before arrival. The UK AIP lists car hire among the transport options at the airport. HIAL also notes a left luggage facility in central Kirkwall, near the Travel Centre and taxi rank.

By bus and coach

Bus service 4 runs a circular route between Kirkwall Travel Centre and the airport terminal, calling at points around the town including the ferry terminal area and the Balfour Hospital. HIAL states that Stagecoach services are coordinated with scheduled flight arrivals, with fewer buses at other times. Current timetables are published by Orkney Islands Council and Stagecoach.

Terminal and facilities

Kirkwall has a single terminal building, which opened in 2002. Verified facilities include:

• A cafe serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and light meals
• Vending machines
• An information desk
• A first aid and quiet room
• An aviramp and wheelchairs to help passengers with reduced mobility

Hotels, banks and tourist information are all available in Kirkwall itself.

Airlines and destinations

Loganair operates all scheduled services at Kirkwall. Routes to the mainland serve Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, there is a link north to Sumburgh in Shetland, and seasonal summer flights run to Dundee.

The inter-island network connects Kirkwall with Eday, North Ronaldsay, Papa Westray, Sanday, Stronsay and Westray. As part of this network Loganair also operates the hop between Westray and Papa Westray, widely recognised as the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world at about 1.7 miles (2.7 km).

In summer 2026 Loganair cut the Inverness, Kirkwall and Sumburgh service to weekends only. After the Scottish Government announced funding in August 2026, weekday flights are due to resume from 26 October 2026.

History

Orkney's air links predate the current airfield. HIAL records that Captain E. E. Fresson flew from Inverness to Kirkwall on 8 May 1933, and that the UK's first internal airmail service started on the Inverness to Orkney route on 29 May 1934.

The present airport was built on farmland at Grimsetter in 1940 and commissioned as RAF Grimsetter to help defend the Scapa Flow naval base. In July 1943 it was transferred to the Fleet Air Arm, and in August 1943 it was commissioned as HMS Robin, a satellite of nearby RNAS Hatston. The Ministry of Civil Aviation took over in 1948, and HIAL became responsible for the airport on its formation in 1986. A new terminal building opened in 2002. In August 2021 the airport saw hybrid electric trial flights by Ampaire across the Pentland Firth to Wick John O'Groats, and the runway lighting has since been replaced with energy-efficient LED systems.