Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Edinburgh Airport (ICAO: EGPH, IATA: EDI) is Scotland's busiest airport, lying in the Ingliston area some six miles west of the city centre just off the M8 and M9 motorways. Built on the site of the former RAF Turnhouse fighter station, it is now a major international gateway operated under VINCI Airports ownership, offering a single long, ILS-equipped runway that makes it a distinctive and historically rich destination for the simulator pilot.
Edinburgh Airport occupies the Ingliston area on the western edge of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, and traces its origins to a First World War air defence base. Today it is operated by Edinburgh Airport Limited, part of the VINCI Airports network, and is the busiest airport in Scotland and the sixth busiest in the United Kingdom. For a sim pilot the appeal lies both in its history as a Battle of Britain fighter station and in its present character as a large, single-runway international hub handling everything from regional turboprops to long-haul widebodies.
The airport sits at 55.95 N, 3.3725 W in the Ingliston area, about six miles west of Edinburgh city centre and close to the M8 and M9 motorways. Field elevation is 105 feet. As a major commercial aerodrome it lies within its own controlled airspace, with all arriving and departing traffic worked by air traffic control.
Edinburgh has a single physical runway, 06/24, a hard-surfaced strip roughly 7688 feet long that is lit and equipped with an ILS. A second runway, 12/30, was formerly in use but was officially withdrawn as part of the airport's expansion works, leaving 06/24 as the sole operational runway today.
Radio services include Approach on 121.2 MHz, ATIS on 131.35 MHz, Ground on 121.75 MHz and Tower on 118.7 MHz. The field is equipped with an ILS, supporting instrument approaches to its runway.
As a controlled international airport, all traffic at Edinburgh operates under air traffic control clearance from approach through to ground movement, with pilots expected to follow ATC instructions for joining, sequencing and departure rather than flying a standard visual circuit.
The airport lies in the Ingliston area, readily identified from the air by its position alongside the M8 and M9 motorways and near the River Almond, which was diverted during the airport's 1970s redevelopment. The city of Edinburgh itself lies some six miles to the east, providing a clear landmark for orientation on approach.
The airfield began life in 1916 as Turnhouse Aerodrome, the northernmost British air defence base of the First World War, used by the Royal Flying Corps. Following the formation of the Royal Air Force in 1918 it became RAF Turnhouse under Air Ministry control, and from 1925 it was home to 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron flying DH9As, Westland Wapitis, Hawker Harts and Hawker Hinds from a grass strip. With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, RAF Fighter Command took over the station and a paved runway of 3,900 feet was laid to accommodate Supermarine Spitfires; during the Battle of Britain the airfield hosted 3, 65 and 141 Squadrons. The airfield remained under military control after 1945 and was officially opened for commercial traffic on 19 May 1947, the first service being a British European Airways Douglas C-47 flight from London Northolt to Shetland via Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The British Airports Authority took ownership in 1971, and a new terminal designed by Sir Robert Matthew was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 27 May 1977. International scheduled services grew from the 1960s Dublin route through European destinations added in the 1970s and 1980s. RAF Turnhouse itself finally closed in 1997, having operated alongside the civil airport for the whole post-war period. Following the break-up of BAA's ownership of UK airports, Edinburgh was sold to Global Infrastructure Partners in 2012, and Runway 12/30 was withdrawn from use as part of subsequent expansion works.
Edinburgh Airport is now a major international hub, handling over 35 airlines flying to more than 150 destinations, and remains Scotland's busiest airport by passenger numbers. Ownership passed to the VINCI Airports network in 2024. Operations are concentrated on the single runway, 06/24, supporting a mix of scheduled airline, cargo and general aviation movements under full air traffic control.
