Foula Airfield

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Foula Airfield
Summary
OwnerFoula Airstrip Trust [1]
ServesFoula, Shetland Islands
Elevation AMSL150 ft / 46 m
Coordinates60°07′18″N 2°03′12″W / 60.12167°N 2.05333°W / 60.12167; -2.05333
Websitehttp://www.shetland.gov.uk/transport/internal_air.asp
Map
FOA is located in Shetland
FOA
FOA
Location in Shetland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 [1] 1,252 382

Foula Airfield (IATA: FOA) is an airfield located on the remote island of Foula, part of the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland.

History[edit]

The airstrip opened in the 1970s and is run by the Foula Airstrip Trust, Scottish charity number SC021728.[2] Foula is also served by a ferry service running three times a week but it is claimed that tourists prefer the short flight to the 135 minute ferry crossing.[citation needed] Also, the ferry is based on Foula, so a day trip to the island is only possible by air. The flights are used to transport essentials such as medical prescriptions to the island, which has a population of 38.[1][3]

The airfield also provides the island's only public toilet and telephone.[4][5]

Airline and destination[edit]

Foula is served by a PSO service from Tingwall Airport run by Airtask Group and funded by Shetland Islands Council.[6][7] The service uses a Britten Norman Islander aircraft and runs 7 times a week in winter[8] and 13 times a week in summer,[9] with a flying time of 15 minutes.[3] Flights are heavily weather dependent due to fog and crosswind.[4]

AirlinesDestinations
Directflight Lerwick

Accidents and incidents[edit]

In June 2014 flights were suspended as it was believed that the airfield's insurance was not suitable following the closure of the island's fire station in 2012.[3][10] Flights have since resumed.


  • Photograph of an aircraft landing at Foula Airfield
    Flight arriving from Tingwall Airport
  • Photograph of baggage handling at Foula Airstrip
    Baggage being loaded.
  • Photograph of aircraft disembarking at Foula Airfield
    Arrival from Tingwall about to disembark.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Griffiths, Rosalind (20 June 2014). "Foula flights halted over lack of fire cover". Shetland Times.
  2. ^ "Foula Airstrip (Number 2) Trust, SC021728". www.oscr.org.uk. Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Foula". Visit Shetland.
  4. ^ a b "Foula" (PDF). Shetland Heritage.
  5. ^ "General Information". Foula Heritage. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Shetland Islands Inter Island Air Service". Airtask Group.
  7. ^ "Roads, Transport and Parking > Transport > Tingwall Airport". shetland.gov.uk. Shetland Island Council. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Winter timetable" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Summer Timetable" (PDF).
  10. ^ Bevington, Pete (19 June 2014). "Foula and Skerries flights suspended". Shetland News. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Foula_Airfield&oldid=1197656056"