Port Stanley Airport

Coordinates: 51°41′08.42″S 57°46′39.52″W / 51.6856722°S 57.7776444°W / -51.6856722; -57.7776444
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Stanley Airport.

Port Stanley Airport
AMSL
75 ft / 23 m
Coordinates51°41′08.42″S 57°46′39.52″W / 51.6856722°S 57.7776444°W / -51.6856722; -57.7776444
Map
Port Stanley Airport is located in Falkland Islands
Port Stanley Airport
Port Stanley Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 3,013 918 Asphalt
18/36 1,110 338 Asphalt

Port Stanley Airport (

Government of the Falkland Islands, and is used for internal flights between the islands and flights between the Falklands and Antarctica
.

History

Map showing the airport and surrounding area

Prior to 1972, there was no airport in the Falkland Islands with a paved runway, and all trips to the islands had to be undertaken by boat. However, in the early 1970s, the

Falkland Islands Company decided to withdraw its monthly supply ship to Montevideo, Uruguay, increasing the desirability of an air link to the South American
mainland.

In 1971, the

Grumman HU-16B Albatross aircraft operated by LADE
.

In 1973, the

Islanders and Beavers
.

Falklands War

During the

air reconnaissance were based at the airport. The Pucarás were deployed against the British land forces, shooting down a Westland Scout and the Aermacchis against the British Fleet
.

On 1 May 1982, the

Fokker F-28 transport aircraft to resume night supply flights within 48 hours. These flights continued to bring supplies, weapons, vehicles, and fuel, and airlift out the wounded right until the end of the conflict. The Argentines left the runway covered with piles of earth during the day, in an attempt to mislead the British regarding the condition of the airfield.[3] In fact, the British were well aware that C-130 flights continued to use the airfield[4] and attempted to interdict these flights leading to the loss of a C-130 on 1 June,[5] which was not, however, engaged in any resupply mission.[6]

During the war the Argentines also heavily mined

sand dunes and the disruption that would be done to the breeding colonies of the threatened Magellanic penguin, which continued to thrive on the beaches (being too light to set off the mines). However, the UK eventually commenced these operations in 2009 to comply with the Ottawa Treaty. On November 14, 2020 the island was declared free of landmines.[7]

Post conflict

After the war, the Royal Air Force took over the airport, renaming it RAF Stanley. Immediately after the conflict air defence of the Islands and garrison was carried out by

South Georgia
) tasks. The airport was also used by the C-130s of the 'Airbridge' from Ascension Island for trooping and many other essentials until Mount Pleasant became operational.

In 1985, RAF Mount Pleasant opened and in April 1986 Port Stanley Airport returned to civilian use. The temporary aluminium planking runway extension was removed, bringing the runway down to its present length. Although flights from Chile by regional airline

Aerovias DAP did use the airport in the early 1990s, for the most part external services have used RAF Mount Pleasant since it opened.[1]

Current status

The

Britten-Norman BN-2B Islander aircraft. The British Antarctic Survey uses the airport for intercontinental flights to Rothera Research Station in Antarctica.[9]

Stanley Airport is used by internal flights and provides connections to British bases in Antarctica.

Bristow Helicopters has operated three Sikorsky S-92 Helicopters out of Stanley, two for transporting oil rig workers to exploratory oil platforms in the North Falkland Basin and the other as a rescue helicopter. Occasionally one of the aircraft had been based at RAF Mount Pleasant given lack of space at Stanley Airport. In 2015 Bristow added a new BVE helicopter hangar at Stanley airport to house three S-92 helicopters. The hangar, designed and constructed by RUBB UK, is used both to service, maintain and store the helicopters, as well as to support SAR operations and training.[10]

FIGAS destinations

See also: List of airports in the Falkland Islands

East Falklands:[11]

  • Bleaker Island
  • Darwin
  • Douglas Station
  • George Island
  • Lively Island
  • Mt Pleasant
  • North Arm
  • Port San Carlos
  • Salvador
  • San Carlos
  • Sea Lion Island
  • Speedwell Island
  • Walker Creek

West Falklands:

  • Albemarle
  • Carcass Island
  • Chartres
  • Dunnose Head
  • Fox Bay
  • Hill Cove
  • Pebble Island
  • Port Edgar
  • Port Howard
  • Port Stevens
  • Roy Cove
  • Saunders Island
  • Weddell Island

BAS destinations

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Falkland Islands Info Portal - History Articles". Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  2. ISBN 987-96007-3-8
  3. ^ The Avro Vulcan and the Black Buck raids - Britain's Small Wars Archived 28 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ISBN 978-0-7538-2199-2
  5. ^ Ward (1992), p. 302
  6. ^ One of their aircraft is missing: Argentine Aircraft Losses - Britain's Small Wars Archived 7 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Falkland islanders celebrate being landmine free - after nearly 40 years". BBC News. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  8. ISSN 0142-4696
    .
  9. ^ a b Aircraft in Antarctica. Archived 29 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine British Antarctic Survey.
  10. ^ "Bristow adds new hangar to support Falklands' oil and gas industry". Merco Press. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  11. ^ "FIGAS (Falkland Islands Government Air Service) - Visitor Information".

References

External links

Media related to Stanley Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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