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Revision as of 10:15, 12 October 2008
City of Derry Airport Aerfort Chathair Dhoire Londonderry/Eglinton Airport | |||||||||||||||
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File:CityofDerryAirport.jpg | |||||||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Operator | Derry City Council | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Derry | ||||||||||||||
Location | Eglinton, County Londonderry | ||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 22 ft / 7 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 55°02′34″N 007°09′40″W / 55.04278°N 7.16111°W | ||||||||||||||
Website | www.cityofderryairport.com | ||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/City_of_Derry_Airport_Entrance_2005.jpg/220px-City_of_Derry_Airport_Entrance_2005.jpg)
City of Derry Airport (Irish: Aerfort Chathair Dhoire) (IATA: LDY, ICAO: EGAE) is an airport in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is located near Lough Foyle and the village of Eglinton, 13 kilometres (8 miles) east northeast of the city centre. Passenger numbers in 2007 were almost 430,000, a 30% increase on 2006, and are projected to rise to over 500,000 in 2008.
Eglinton Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P620) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Derry City Council)[1].
History
The airport has its origins in World War II. In 1941 RAF Eglinton air base was established as home to No. 133 Squadron RAF which flew Hurricane fighters in defence of the city. In 1942 the base was occupied by No. 41 Squadron RAF. In 1943 the airfield became a Fleet Air Arm base called HMS Gannet and was home to No. 1847 Fleet Air Arm Squadron which provided convoy air cover as part of the Second Battle of the Atlantic.
After the war the base remained a military establishment until the 1950s when the Ministry of Defence returned much of the land to the original landowners. The original name of the airport was Londonderry Eglinton Airport and was usually just referred to as Eglinton. Some limited commercial activities were undertaken at the airfield during the 1960s when Emerald Airways operated a Glasgow service. During most of the 1970s the only flying at Eglinton was carried out by Eglinton Flying Club which is still based at the airport. In 1978 Londonderry County Borough Council (now called Derry City Council) decided to purchase the airfield with a view to improving the transport infrastructure for the North-West of Ireland. The airport has slowly developed since then. Loganair introduced the first scheduled flight between Derry and Glasgow in 1979 and it still operates today. This route was the only route for ten years until Loganair introduced an additional daily Manchester service in 1989.
A major redevelopment programme was undertaken by the Council from 1989 to 1993 with grant aid from the European Regional Development Fund. £10.5 million was spent upgrading all of the facilities at the airport including runways, taxiways, access roads, navigation equipment and runway lighting, as well as a new purpose-built terminal and fire station. The new terminal was officially opened in March 1994. The name of the airport was officially changed from Londonderry Eglinton to the City of Derry Airport. At that time there were still only two scheduled routes carrying about 40,000 passenger each year. 1995 saw the arrival of Jersey European Airways who attempted to operate a short-lived shuttle link between City of Derry and Belfast City Airport.
During 1998 and 1999 safety improvements were undertaken at the airport. As the airport serves much of the Republic of Ireland as well as Northern Ireland, funding came from the Irish government, as well as the British government and Derry City Council. These improvements meant that larger aircraft could use the airport and Falcon Holidays started holiday charter flights in May 1999 and Ryanair followed with scheduled flights in July 1999. This Ryanair service to London Stansted grew substantially and British Airways also started a number of routes.
A previously successful route between Derry and Manchester was axed by British Airways in 2005 as part of its rationalisation of regional services.[citation needed] Previously Aer Arann had run services to Manchester and Birmingham.[2]
In May 2006, the European Commission gave its approval for the British and Irish governments to invest €15 million in the airport.
The Future
At the end of 2008 work will begin on dualling the A2 from Maydown to Eglinton and the Airport, completing by 2011 a high speed dual carriageway connection to the city. This scheme is proposed to integrate with future motorway schemes from Derry to the Irish border at Aughnacloy and from Dungiven thus increasing the catchment area where it is a viable alternative to the Belfast Airports.
The main Derry - Belfast railway line also passes metres from the runway. With future investment from the Republic and Northern Irish Governments in public transport, it is quite feasible that together with the re-routing of the line and formation of a passing loop that a rail interchange station at the airport could also be constructed.
Plans have recently been announced in the Derry Journal that City of Derry Council, who own and operate the airport are tendering for a development plan which could see a Hotel, Aircraft Painting Hangers, Freight Buildings and Office Accommodation built in the next 10 years.
In recent months although losing one airline, BA, from the airports portfolio, two airlines, Aer Arann and Flybe, have announced their return. Ryanair has also announced two new flights to London Luton and Birmingham while discontinuing the flights to Bristol (ends 28th September) and East Midlands (ends 25 October).
Incidents and accidents
- 29 March 2006 - the Irish airline Eirjet issued an apology after a flight it operated from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to City of Derry Airport on behalf of Ryanair landed at the wrong airfield, touching down at an army base in Ballykelly 10 kilometres (6 miles) away from its intended destination. The statement explained that the incident was caused by an "error by the Eirjet pilot who mistakenly believed he was on a visual approach to City of Derry airport". [3] An air accident investigation report in January 2007 reported that the pilot had been unable to obtain the correct set of charts prior to the flight, only obtaining them the day after the incident. The pilot stated that if he had seen the charts, he would have been fully aware of the existence of Ballykelly and would not have landed there. The crew believed the instrument landing aid system at City of Derry was malfunctioning as what they saw of the runway did not match the instrument readings and the presence of an instrument calibrating aircraft close by added to their belief that there was a technical fault. The report also stated that although an air traffic controller thought the jet was "slightly low" he did not warn the crew about the other runway.
- 24 May 2007 - The airport was closed by Civil Aviation Authority following an inspection. Problems found include lack of an effective bird control plan, unsuitable temporary repairs to the area where planes park and poor runway drainage.[4] Four days later, after reinspection, the CAA allowed the airport to be reopened. Changes made to the airport included placing nets over culverts and ponds near by, repairs to the aircraft parking apron and minor drainage work carried out on the runway. All cancelled airlines, including British Airways and Ryanair subsequently resumed full services.[5]
Airlines and destinations
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Virgin_Atlantic_Flyer_Fuel_Tanks.jpg/200px-Virgin_Atlantic_Flyer_Fuel_Tanks.jpg)
The following scheduled airlines use City of Derry Airport (at September 2008):
- Aer Arann (Dublin)
- British Airways
- operated by Loganair (Glasgow-International [ends 19 October])
- Ryanair (Birmingham [begins 26 October], East Midlands [ends 25 October], Glasgow-Prestwick, Liverpool, London-Luton [begins 28 October], London-Stansted)
There are also chartered routes to the following destinations:
- First Choice Airways (Palma de Majorca)
Statistics
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Passenger numbers for 2005 fell following a reduction in Ryanair services to London Stansted due to safety restrictions over the absence of a runway overshoot area [citation needed]. Services were then restored following the commencement of work on a runway extension. In 2006 new Ryanair services commenced to East Midlands, Liverpool and Glasgow-Prestwick, with Bristol commencing in November 2007. Passenger numbers for 2007 were 427,586, with over 500,000 passengers forecast in 2008 and up to 650,000 in 2009 following completion of the runway extension. [citation needed]
References
- ^ Civil Aviation Authority Aerodrome Ordinary Licences
- ^ Aer Arann Announces New Routes From Derry to Manchester and Birmingham Retrieved 2008-06-15
- ^ BBC News
- ^ Airport shut over safety concerns
- ^ BBC News - City airport cleared to re-open
- ^ Number of Passengers including both domestic and international.
- ^ Number of Movements represents total air transport takeoffs and landings during that year.