A tiny UK airport boasting just one newly refurbished runway and two direct routes has been crowned the quietest in the country, attracting fewer than 3,000 passengers in the entirety of 2024
With just one runway and two direct routes, it’s no surprise this tiny UK airport has been ranked the country’s quietest.
Built back in 1976, this mini aviation hub is located near Gott, a small village in the Shetland Islands, an archipelago stranded 110 miles from mainland Scotland. Operated by Shetland Islands Council, Tingwall Airport (also known as Lerwick Airport) provides inter-island air services to the outer isles of Shetland.
During the summer period, the airport offers just two routes – including 11 weekly flights over to Fair Isle – the southernmost of the Shetland Islands, and 11 weekly flights to Foula, the UK’s most remote permanently inhabited island. Passengers wanting to book one of the flights should contact Airtask Group Limited on 01595 840246 or by email: [email protected].
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Back in May, the airport underwent a £1.3m refurbishment to resurface its runway. The four-week project saw over 3,300 tonnes asphalt laid along the 805 metre length of the runway, with over 2,700 tonnes of crushed aggregate material also laid around the runway perimeter. During this time, flights were temporarily moved to Sumburgh Airport, but have resumed at Tingwall.
“The resurfacing was needed to improve the condition of the runway, which has deteriorated in recent years, needing increasing maintenance,” Shetland Islands Council explained. “The next phase of work, planned for next year, will see upgrades to the runway lighting and resurfacing of the runway apron
Moraig Lyall, Chair of the Council’s Environment and Transport Committee added: “Resurfacing the entire runway has been a major project and I’d like to thank passengers for their patience in recent weeks while this work has taken place. It’s great to see this job completed. It is a significant investment in the future of the airport that provides vital flight links for our island communities.”
Using passenger data from the UK Civil Authority, experts over at El Bella Villa and Online Marketing Surgery have ranked the UK’s top 10 quietest airports. Based on the amount of terminal passengers throughout the entirety of 2024, Tingwall came out on top – attracting less than 3,000 visitors last year.
Top 10 quietest UK airports
Airport
Terminal Passengers (2024)
Lerwick (Tingwall)
2,840
Campbeltown
7,028
Biggin Hill
8,353
Wick John O Groats
9,963
Tiree
1,0026
Barra
11,064
Blackpool
18,729
Benbecula
26,494
Islay
30,535
Dundee
36,071
On the flip side, the report also ranks the top 10 busiest airports in the UK, with Heathrow unsurprisingly taking the lead with a whopping 83,882,140 passengers in 2024. London Gatwick came second, with almost half of the footfall (43m), followed by Manchester (30m) and Stansted (29m).
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Top 10 busiest UK airports
Airport
Terminal Passengers (2024)
Heathrow
83,882,140
Gatwick
43,249,282
Manchester
30,789,056
Stansted
29,694,316
Luton
16,939,902
Edinburgh
15,780,353
Birmingham
12,848,201
Bristol
10,615,864
Glasgow
8,067,685
Belfast International
6,750,440
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