Edinburgh Airport History

More than nine million passengers pass through Edinburgh Airport each year. It serves more than 40 airlines, flying to over 100 destinations, making it Scotland’s most active airport. What many passengers who pass through its gates do not know is that Edinburgh Airport has a wonderfully rich and interesting history, which stretches right back to 1915.

Early history

The beginnings of Edinburgh Airport can be traced to the First World War, when the airport was used as a defence base by the Royal Flying Corps. During the Second World War the airport continued to be an instrumental part of war efforts, including the Battle of Britain.

After the war

When the war was over, the airport began to be used by commercial services. In 1947 a service between Edinburgh and London commenced. The runway was extended in the 1952 to handle new, bigger aircrafts. The airport had already changed significantly since the airport used simple grass landing strips.

During the 1970s a new main runway was built, along with new terminal buildings.

The modern era

Amsterdam and Dublin were the only destinations served by Edinburgh Airport in the 1980s. But the following years saw planes flying to France and Germany. By the end of the decade new parking facilities were available at the airport. Today there are several Edinburgh Airport parking options available, including the off-airport Edinburgh NCP Scotpark and Edinburgh Long Stay Parking.

Recent history

Edinburgh Airport has continued to grow in recent times, with a new traffic control tower that cost £10 million erected in 2005. In the years since then several terminal extensions have taken place.

Between 2010 and 2020, around £240 million will be invested in Edinburgh Airport. As Scotland’s international travel connections grow, Edinburgh Airport is destined to become more and more important not only to regional travel, but to that of the UK as a whole.