City of Derry Airport

City of Derry Airport Londonderry/Eglinton Airport
IATA: LDY ICAO: EGAE
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Derry City and Strabane District Council
Operator	City of Derry Airport Operations Ltd.
Serves	Derry, Northern Ireland
Location	Eglinton, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Elevation AMSL	23 ft / 7 m
Coordinates	55°02′34″N 007°09′43″W / 55.04278°N 7.16194°W / 55.04278; -7.16194Coordinates: 55°02′34″N 007°09′43″W / 55.04278°N 7.16194°W / 55.04278; -7.16194
Website	cityofderryairport.com
Map
EGAE City of Derry Airport in Northern Ireland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 08/26 1,969 6,460 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 284,482 Passenger Change 14-15 18.8% Aircraft Movements (2014) 5,764 Movements Change 13-14 18.9%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Passengers	284,482
Passenger Change 14-15	18.8%
Aircraft Movements (2014)	5,764
Movements Change 13-14	18.9%

City of Derry Airport (IATA: LDY, ICAO: EGAE) is a regional airport located 7 mi (11 km) northeast of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is located on the south bank of Lough Foyle, a short distance from the village of Eglinton and 8 mi (13 km) from the city centre.

The airport, which is also locally known as Eglinton Airport, has been experiencing decreasing passenger numbers since 2011. In 2015, 284,482 passengers used the airport, which is a 18.8% decrease when compared with 2014. Ryanair is the only airline to serve the airport with scheduled flights.

The airport has its origins in World War II. In 1941 RAF Eglinton air base was established as the home to No. 133 Squadron RAF which flew Hurricane fighters in defence of the city. In 1942 the base was occupied by the No. 41 Squadron RAF. In 1943 the airfield became a Fleet Air Arm base called RNAS Eglinton HMS Gannet and was home to the No. 1847 Fleet Air Arm Squadron which provided convoy air cover as part of the Battle of the Atlantic.

After the war the base remained a military establishment until the 1950s when the Ministry of Defence returned much of the land to the original landowners. The original name of the airport was Londonderry Eglinton Airport and was usually just referred to as "Eglinton". Some limited commercial activities were undertaken at the airfield during the 1960s when Emerald Airways operated a Glasgow service. Emerald built a new terminal building and control tower to support services with the first flight to Glasgow operating on 16 September 1967. During most of the 1970s the only flying at Eglinton was carried out by Eglinton Flying Club which is still based at the airport. In 1978 Londonderry City Council decided to purchase the airfield with a view to improving the transport infrastructure for the north-west of Ireland. The airport has slowly developed since then with private short-haul charters to various destinations within the British Isles, a service which still continues including the recent addition of helicopter pilot training and charter services. Loganair introduced the first scheduled flight between Derry and Glasgow in 1979, a route which was dropped due to rising fuel costs. This route was the only route for ten years until Loganair introduced an additional daily Manchester service in 1989.