Tiree Airport

History of Tiree Airport

The first air service to Tiree was operated by Northern and Scottish Airways Ltd and the first landing on Tiree was by Company Director George Nicholson on a surveying visit. Mr Nicholson was flown in by pilot David Barclay who, after considerable low flying around the island, eventually made a landing on the beach in Gott Bay in a De Havilland DH84 Dragon, registration G-ACJS. This took place on 4 October, 1935 and after surveying the island by road they flew back to Renfrew later the same day. A scheduled service began to Tiree on 1 July 1936 using De Havilland DH89 Rapides, landing at a grass strip at “The Reef” which is still the site of the airport today. The flight from Renfrew in those early days came via Islay and was a two-and-a-half hour round trip.

Tiree Airport’s Role in World War II
With the coming of war and with fears of invasion, work was begun to prepare a major airfield at "The Reef" in 1940 and this was formally opened as part of RAF Coastal Command on 28 November 1941. During the course of the war several squadrons operated from Tiree. These were 224, 304, 518 and 281 squadrons in a variety of roles, including anti-submarine, air sea rescue and meteorological reconnaissance sorties. A variety of aircraft were flown from Tiree throughout the war including Warwicks, Wellingtons and Halifaxes. These aircraft all played their part in the vital work of trying to ensure the safety of the North Atlantic convoys which were bringing much needed supplies from America, as well as helping with weather forecasts vital for the planning of operations such as the D Day landings.

After the War
In September 1945 the airfield reverted to a care and maintenance status, and shortly afterwards a civil passenger service began to operate once more from Tiree. This passenger service used the same aircraft as had been used before the war and even in 1947 when BEA began operating the service the De Havilland DH 89 Rapide was still in use. BEA operated the service from 1947 to 1974 and during this time a variety of aircraft were employed en-route. These included: DH 89 Rapides, Douglas DC3 Dakotas (on a route which went from Glasgow-Islay-Tiree-Benbecula-Stornoway-Inverness and back again) and DH Herons.

In 1974 BEA and BOAC merged to form British Airways Scottish, selling the DH Herons and operating Shorts Skyliners which were a passenger version of the Shorts 330 Skyvan. After only a year BA Scottish pulled out of the service and it was taken over by Loganair who initially operated Britten-Norman Trislanders. Loganair have operated the service ever since, switching to a DHC6 Twin Otter aircraft which was occasionally supplemented by either the Brazilian made Embraer Bandeirante for the BAe Jetstream 31. These days, if another aircraft is needed, then a Shorts 360 is generally used or occasionally a SAAB 340.

The Vital Air Ambulance Service
As Tiree is so far removed from any medical facilities, it was apparent even from the early days of flights to the island that there was great potential benefit to the community in the operating an air ambulance service. In the days before the NHS was established (up to 1948) the cost of any ambulance flights was met by the local authorities with a contribution from the patient if they could afford one. Since then the majority of the costs have been met by the NHS with a nominal fee being paid by the patient. All the civil aircraft mentioned previously up to the DH Heron were used as air ambulances. Since then a variety of specialist aircraft and helicopters have been used in this role. These are: Britten-Norman Islander, Beechcraft Super King Air 200 (both still in use) and in conjunction with the helicopters – Eurocopter Bo 105, Aerospatiale SA 365 Dauphin 2, and most recently the Eurocopter Bo EC 135.

It’s a Boy!
As more expectant mothers chose to give birth at a hospital it became inevitable that some births would take place en-route. The first baby in Scotland to be born whilst in the air and survive was from Tiree. The birth occurred on 28 February 1950 in a DH Rapide G-AHXX over Scarba whilst en-route from Tiree to Renfrew. The baby's name was Lachlan MacNeill MacFarlane.

Just as Vital Today
Tiree Airport today has scheduled flights Monday to Saturday and, especially during the summer months, welcomes many private flights. Visitors either stop off briefly en-route to other island airports or stay for a few days to enjoy the quiet and beautiful beaches which are to be found here. The airport has had a long and varied history and remains, even today, a vital part of the island’s infrastructure, bringing in business travellers, visitors, mail and newspapers, as well as providing the vital air ambulance service.

About Tiree Airport

Tiree Airport is located on the south east coast of Tiree island, which regularly records the highest annual levels of sunshine in the UK. The island’s coastal waters are also famed as a top location for surfing events. Aircraft operations are supported by a Flight Information Service. An Airport Fire Service is provided on the basis of a Rescue and Fire Fighting Service category 3 airport, as detailed in Civil Aviation Publication 168.

Airport Information

Flights
The following destinations are served by scheduled flights from this airport. Contact the airline directly for timetable and fare information.

Aircraft and Helicopter Charter
None listed

Local Transport Information

Hours of Operation

Refueling Services
None Listed

HIAL Ltd.,
Head Office,
Inverness Airport,
Inverness
IV2 7JB

http://www.hial.co.uk