Oban Airport North Connel Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Argyll and Bute Council | ||||||||||
| Serves | Oban | ||||||||||
| Location | North Connel,Argyll and Bute, Scotland | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 24 ft / 7 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 56°27′49″N005°24′00″W / 56.46361°N 5.40000°W /56.46361; -5.40000 | ||||||||||
| Website | http://obanandtheislesairports.com/ | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  EGEO Location in Argyll and Bute | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Sources: UKAIP atNATS[1] | |||||||||||
Oban Airport (IATA:OBN,ICAO:EGEO) is located 5nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) northeast[1] ofOban, near the village ofNorth Connel,Argyll and Bute,Scotland. Operated by Argyll and Bute council, it has a CAA licence as a commercial airport following recent upgrading. Currently[when?]Hebridean Air Services[2] is the only airline based at Oban. It operates scheduled flights on two routes, to the Isles ofColonsay andIslay return and to the Isles ofColl andTiree return.
Sightseeing flights also operate out of Oban Airport with trips around theLoch Linnhe area. Flights include sites such asOban, theGulf of Corryvreckan,Tobermory,Castle Stalker andThe Bridge over the Atlantic.
Oban airport links the mainland with the islands of Coll, Colonsay, Islay and Tiree.[3] The airstrips on the Islands of Coll and Colonsay, also operated by Argyll and Bute council, have benefitted from extensive upgrading to enable them to attain CAA licensing in 2008 to allow for commercial traffic.[4] Scheduled flights began in 2008.[5][6]
The site was previouslyRAF Connel a formerRoyal Air Forceemergency landing ground that was operational between 1942 and 1945 during theSecond World War. The airfield was operated byNo. 17 Group RAF ofRAF Coastal Command featuring two tarmaced runways and also used to supportRAF Oban, a seaplane base nearby.[7]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Hebridean Air Services | Coll,[8]Colonsay,[9]Tiree[10]A |
In April 2007, three people were killed after their light aircraft crashed after take-off from the airport. Their destination wasAndrewsfield Aerodrome,[11]England.
There has been controversy about the running of the airport byArgyll and Bute Council, mainly in the letters and news pages ofThe Oban Times. It is claimed that costs have soared and the amount of traffic dropped since the takeover.[12] In 2008, police looked into the possible sabotage of an airport fire appliance.[13]
There was further controversy in July 2009 when Argyll Aero Club 'PK' erected a fence around the land that it leases from the airport. The council claimed this reduced the length of the runway meaning fixed wing ambulance flights cannot land.[14]
Media related toOban Airport at Wikimedia Commons
