St Mary's Airport, Isles of Scilly

St Mary's Airport or Isles of Scilly Airport (IATA: ISC, ICAO: EGHE) is an airport located 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) east of Hugh Town on St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, to the south west of Cornwall, UK. It is the only airport serving the Isles of Scilly, handling all air traffic to and from the Islands. The airport is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and currently is operated by the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

Not to be confused with St. Mary's Airport (Alaska).

St Mary's Airport

Isles of Scilly Airport

Scilly Isles/St Mary's Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorCouncil of the Isles of Scilly
ServesIsles of Scilly
LocationSt Mary's, Isles of Scilly
Elevation AMSL116 ft / 35 m
Coordinates49°54′48″N 006°17′30″W
Websitewww.scilly.gov.uk/environment-transport/isles-scilly-airport
Map
EGHE
Location in the Isles of Scilly
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 525 1,722 Asphalt/Grass
15/33 694 2,277 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
m ft
18/36 400 1,312 Grass
Statistics (2018)
Passengers92,195
Passenger change 17-180.4%
Aircraft Movements12,546
Movements change 17–1810.5%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1]
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

History
Western Morning News. Thursday 17 August 1939. Jeffery Amherst, 5th Earl Amherst, general manager of the Great Western and Southern Air Lines Ltd., marking the opening of the new airport. Left to right: Mr. C.W. Cross, Mr. P.E. Stuart (Clerk of the Council), Mr. A. Woodcock (Chairman of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Co.), Earl Amherst, Mr. C.P.O. Stideford (captain of the golf club), and Mr. A.C.V. Stephens (treasurer of the golf club).

On 15 September 1937, Olley Air Service's subsidiary Channel Air Ferries started the first scheduled service between Land's End and St Mary's, flying de Havilland Dragons. Initially, however, the planes landed on the St Mary's golf course.[3] St Mary's Airport was first opened in August 1939, after being converted from High Cross Farm.[4]

In 1938, Great Western and Southern Airlines took over Olley Air Service and Channel Air Ferries. It continued the service throughout World War II, during which it replaced the Dragons with de Havilland Dragon Rapides.[5] On 1 February 1947 this operation was taken over by British European Airways (BEA).[5] In August 1949 a control tower and a passenger waiting room were completed at St Mary's.[6]

British European Airways De Havilland Dragon Rapide at St Mary's airfield in 1958 before departure to Lands End airport.

On 2 May 1964, BEA replaced its Dragon Rapides on the Land's End route with a single Sikorsky S-61 helicopter, operated by BEA Helicopters. From 1 September 1964 the route was to the new Penzance Heliport. BEA Helicopters later became British Airways Helicopters, and subsequently British International Helicopters. A second helicopter was eventually added to the service in the summers.[7]

Mayflower Air Services started services to the airport in 1961; this operation was taken over by Scillonian Air Services in 1963, itself taken over by British Westpoint Airlines in 1964. Scillonia Airways operated services to the airport from 1966 to 1970. Westward Airways, not to be confused with Westward Airways (Lands End), operated services from 1967 to 1970. Brymon Airways operated services from June 1972 to March 1991,[6] initially with Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, and two years later, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters.[4]

In 1975, a new terminal was opened by the then incumbent Prime Minister Harold Wilson.[4]

In 1984, Isles of Scilly Skybus started flights to St Mary's from Land's End, initially freight and charter. Scheduled services started on 1 April 1987,[6] flying Islanders and, later, Twin Otters.[3]

The current 600-metre (2,000 ft) asphalt runway, 15/33, was built in 1991.[4]

After being in operation for 48 years, the helicopter service between St Mary's and the mainland UK ceased operations in October 2012, leaving Skybus as the sole remaining air link for the Isles of Scilly.[8] A helicopter service operated between Land's End Airport and St. Mary's in summer 2018.[9]

In May 2013, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company and the Council of the Isles of Scilly submitted a joint bid for finance from the European Regional Development Fund for improvements to the terminal, new lighting and navigational systems and runway resurfacing, together with runway resurfacing at Land's End Airport.[10] In May 2014, the European Commission gave its approval. The upgrades at St Mary's are expected to cost £6.5 million.[11]

Facilities
The airport building (before the recent redevelopment); Old Town is seen just beyond the airport.

The terminal at the airport is open all year round whilst the airport is in operation. It has a buffet, toilets, as well as access to wheelchairs upon request. The airport is used as a landing area for some emergency services such as the HM Coastguard Search and Rescue Aircraft (based out of Newquay Airport) and the Cornwall Air Ambulance, as well as being the administrative base for the Isles of Scilly Fire and Rescue Service.[12]

A public footpath passes within a few metres of the southern end of the runway;[13] it is closed by warning lights and bells a few minutes before a take-off or landing is due.

Airlines and destinations

As of July 2020, St.Marys Airport has regular service to the following destinations:

AirlinesDestinations
Isles of Scilly Skybus Land's End, Newquay
Seasonal: Exeter
Sloane Helicopters Penzance [14][15]

Incidents
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References
  1. Scilly Isles/St Mary's - EGHE
  2. "UK airport data 2017: Tables 3, 9 and 13.pdf". UK Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  3. "An anniversary of flights between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly". Cornwall Life. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  4. "History of St Mary's Airport". Council of the Isles of Scilly.
  5. Lo Bao, Phil; Hutchison, Iain (2002). BEAline to the Islands: The Story of Air Services to Offshore Communities of the British Isles by British European Airways, Its Predecessors and Successors. Erskine: Kea Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 978-0951895849.
  6. Wickstead, Maurice (April 2008). "Bound for Lyonesse: The History of Flying in the Isles of Scilly" (PDF). Light Aviation. Light Aircraft Association. pp. 31–33. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  7. Lo Bao and Hutchison (2002), pp. 11–19.
  8. "European red tape delays airport's vital runway improvement project". Mid Devon Gazette. 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  9. https://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/islesofscillyhelicopter/
  10. "£6m upgrade of airports 'on the way to implementation'". The Cornishman. 18 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  11. "Runway and terminal works for Land's End to Scilly flights get go ahead from European Commission". The Cornishman. 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  12. "St. Mary's Airport". Council of the Isles of Scilly. Archived from the original on 6 October 2006.
  13. Grid reference SV9195410364
  14. https://penzancehelicopters.co.uk/
  15. https://www.tresco.co.uk/arriving/isles-of-scilly-helicopter-to-tresco-st-marys
  16. "Accident Report 8/84" (PDF). Air Accident Investigation Branch.
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