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Mount Pleasant Airport, better known as RAF Mount Pleasant, is a Royal Air Force station on East Falkland that doubles as the Falkland Islands' only international airport. Its two long, lit asphalt runways and instrument approach make it an unusual and remote destination for the simulator pilot, set against the bleak South Atlantic landscape some 33 miles southwest of Stanley.
Mount Pleasant Airport (ICAO EGYP, IATA MPN), also known as RAF Mount Pleasant or simply MPA, is a Royal Air Force station in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. It is operated by the Royal Air Force under British Forces South Atlantic Islands and, alongside its military role, serves as the Falkland Islands' only international airport. For a simulator pilot the appeal lies in its remoteness, its purpose-built military character, and the long paved runways built to accommodate wide-body jets and fast jets alike in one of the most isolated corners of the South Atlantic.
The airfield lies on East Falkland, about 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Stanley, the Falkland Islands' capital. It is a permanent joint operating base under Ministry of Defence ownership, controlled by British Forces South Atlantic Islands.
Mount Pleasant has two physical runways. The main runway, 10/28, is 8,477 feet long with a hard surface, lit, and equipped with an ILS on runway 28. The secondary runway, 05/23, is 5,004 feet long, also hard-surfaced and lit. Field elevation is 203 feet.
Radio services include Approach (APP) on 118.5 MHz, Arrival (ARR, Island Radar) on 131.5 MHz, Ground (GND) on 130.3 MHz, and Tower (TWR) on 133.35 MHz. An ILS is available for runway 28.
Mount Pleasant was built in the aftermath of the 1982 Falklands War, when British forces had relied on a temporary military airfield at RAF Stanley whose runway length and strength were considered inadequate for the long-term defence of the islands. In June 1983 the British Government announced that a new airfield, then referred to as the Falkland Island Strategic Airfield (FISA), would be built at Mount Pleasant rather than upgrading Stanley, allowing the existing airfield to remain operational during construction. The Ministry of Defence purchased 8,300 acres of farmland for £55,000, with severance compensation of £100,000, and relocated Mount Pleasant House and other farm buildings at a cost of £83,877. The airfield was built by Mowlem-Laing Amey Roadstone Construction, a consortium of the British firms Mowlem, John Laing Group and Amey plc. It was opened by the then Prince Andrew on 12 May 1985 and became fully operational the following year, replacing the RAF's facilities at Port Stanley Airport. It remains the newest purpose-built Royal Air Force station.
Mount Pleasant remains an active RAF station, home to between 1,000 and 2,000 British military personnel under No. 905 Expeditionary Air Wing. Based units include No. 1312 Flight, operating a Voyager KC2 and an A400M Atlas C1, and No. 1435 Flight, operating four Typhoon Tranche 1 fast jets. Search and rescue and support helicopter operations are provided by AAR Corp/Bristow Helicopters (formerly British International Helicopters), flying Sikorsky S-92 and AgustaWestland AW189 aircraft. Alongside its military functions, Mount Pleasant serves as the Falkland Islands' only international airport, handling scheduled civilian services under the IATA code MPN.
