Foula Airfield

Foula Airfield
IATA: FOA – ICAO: EGFO
Summary
Owner	Foula Airstrip Trust [1]
Serves	Foula, Shetland Islands
Elevation AMSL	150 ft / 46 m
Coordinates	60°07′18″N 2°03′12″W / 60.12167°N 2.05333°WCoordinates: 60°07′18″N 2°03′12″W / 60.12167°N 2.05333°W
Website	http://www.shetland.gov.uk/transport/internal_air.asp
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 18/36 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

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. The flights are used to transport essentials such as 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]

Terminals and destinations

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

Airlines	Destinations
Directflight	Lerwick

Accidents and incidents

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][8] Flights have since resumed.

References

1. Shetland Times: Foula flights halted over lack of fire cover
2. OSCR: Foula Airstrip (Number 2) Trust, SC021728
3. Visit Shetland
4. Shetland Heritage: Foula
5. Foula Heritage
6. Direct Flight - Shetland
7. Internal Air Services
8. Bevington, Pete (19 June 2014). "Foula and Skerries flights suspended". Shetland News. Retrieved 3 March 2016.