City of Derry Airport Londonderry/Eglinton Airport[1] | |||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | Loganair | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 23 ft / 7 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 55°02′34″N007°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 Show map of Northern Ireland EGAE EGAE (island of Ireland) Show map of island of Ireland EGAE EGAE (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom | |||||||||||
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City of Derry Airport (IATA:LDY,ICAO:EGAE), previously known asRAF Eglinton andLondonderry Eglinton Airport, is aregional airport located 7 mi (11 km) northeast ofDerry, Northern Ireland.[3] It is located on the south bank ofLough Foyle, a short distance from the village ofEglinton and 8 mi (13 km) from thecity centre.
The airport, also known locally as Eglinton Airport, has experienced a decline in passenger numbers in recent years partially due to the COVID pandemic and underfunding. In 2024, 179,095 passengers used the airport, having peaked at 438,996 in 2008. The airport is currently a base for the Scottish regional airlineLoganair, who operate domestic flights to other parts of the UK. Other airlines who serve the airport includeRyanair,easyJet andVolotea.
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Theairport has its origins in theSecond World War. In 1941, theRoyal Air Force (RAF) Eglinton air base was established as the home toNo. 133 Squadron RAF which flewHawker Hurricanes in defence of the city.[4] In 1942 the base was occupied byNo. 41 Squadron RAF. In 1943 the airfield became aFleet Air Arm base calledRNAS Eglinton (HMSGannet) and was home to No. 1847 Fleet Air Arm Squadron which provided convoy air cover as part of theBattle of the Atlantic.[4] RNAS Eglinton closed in April 1959 with the remaining squadrons moving toRAF Ballyhalbert, County Down andRAF Ballykelly, County Londonderry.[4]
After the war, the base remained a military establishment until the 1950s when theMinistry of Defence returned much of the land to the original landowners. The original name of the airport was Londonderry Eglinton Airport and it was usually just referred to as "Eglinton". Some limited commercial activities were undertaken at the airfield during the 1960s whenEmerald Airways operated a service toGlasgow. Emerald built a new terminal building and control tower to support services with the first flight toGlasgow 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 [a] decided to purchase the airfield with a view to improving the transport infrastructure for the northwest ofIreland. The airport has slowly developed since then with private short-haul charters to various destinations within theBritish 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 andGlasgow in 1979, a route which was dropped due to rising fuel costs. This route was the only route for ten years untilLoganair introduced an additional dailyManchester service in 1989.
A major redevelopment programme was undertaken by the council from 1989 to 1993 with grant aid from theEuropean Regional Development Fund. £10.5 million was spent upgrading all of the facilities at the airport includingrunways,taxiways, access roads, navigation equipment, and runway lighting, as well as a new purpose-builtterminal and fire station. The new terminal was officially opened in March 1994. The name of the airport was officially changed from Londonderry Eglinton to the City of Derry Airport byDerry City Council following nationalist support within the newly renamed council. However, as of May 2014, theAeronautical Information Publication published by the UK'sair navigation service provider,National Air Traffic Services, still shows Londonderry/Eglinton.[1] At that time there were still only two scheduled routes carrying about 40,000 passengers each year. 1995 saw the arrival ofJersey European Airways who attempted to operate a short-lived shuttle link between Derry andBelfast City Airport.
During 1998 and 1999 safety improvements were undertaken at the airport as a matter of priority. As the airport servedNorthern Ireland andDonegal in theRepublic of Ireland, funding was sourced and thereafter provided by theIrish Government in addition to that provided by theBritish Government and Derry City Council. These improvements meant that larger aircraft could use the airport, thus,Air 2000 started holiday charter flights, on behalf of Falcon Holidays, in May 1999, followed in July byRyanair who operated scheduled flights. The Ryanair service toLondon Stansted grew substantially and theLoganair routes continued to operate until October 2008 as aBritish Airways franchise, including a sector toDublin, initiated as a public service obligation route, subsidised by the Irish Government. Soaring fuel costs saw all British Airways operations to Northern Ireland suspended. British Airways has since returned to Northern Ireland by buying British Midland Airways (bmi) and continuing operating the route toLondon Heathrow Airport fromGeorge Best Belfast City Airport.
Aer Arann operated services toManchester andBirmingham for a short time.[5]
In May 2006, theEuropean Commission gave its approval for the British and Irish governments to invest €15 million in the airport. Although this work did not include the lengthening of the single serviceable runway, it included the expansion of the safety zones at each end which would allow jets to land and take off with full passenger capacities.[citation needed] Operators ofBoeing 737 jets were previously limited to 80% capacity as a safety feature due to the short length of the runway. Other works included the expansion of theapron immediately in front of thecontrol tower which would allow for the parking of several aircraft at any one time. As a prelude to the expansion at the airport several families were removed from their homes under a GovernmentCompulsory Purchase scheme before the buildings and outbuildings were demolished.[6]
The decrease in operational hours at the airport as a direct consequence of the challenging economic conditions have caused problems for Eglinton Flying Club and the helicopter flight training facility, who in turn have threatened to leave the airport if the decisions are not reversed. They have claimed that this would cost the airport some £250,000 in annual revenue while the owners, Derry City Council, have countered that the decrease in operational hours was necessary as part of the implementation of the £600,000 budget reduction plan.[7]
In January 2009, the council appointed Albert Harrison, the former head ofBelfast International Airport, as the new manager of the airport. He had been tasked with turning the loss-making facility around and has been given just six months to implement savings of £600,000 per annum and increase the number of carriers, destinations, and passengers.[citation needed]
The recently completed runway safety zone extension and apron works have allowed theCAA to lift the capacity restriction on aircraft operating out of the airport. This has increased seat availability and passenger throughput at the airport.[citation needed] It also enabled Ryanair to establish their first international route from the airport toAlicante.[citation needed]
In April 2009 the council issued tender documents for a multimillion-pound expansion of the terminal to improve passenger flow and meet current EU customs and immigration regulations.[8] The arrivals hall has recently been improved and tax free shopping,WHSmith and the Amelia Earhart Business lounge in the departure area are open during operational hours.
On 9 October 2009,Derry City Council who own and operate the airport began the process which will lead to the privatisation of the facility. Initially, a holding company will be set up by the council which will own 100% of the shares, thereafter the council intends to do market research to seek the level of interest in private sector investors. As part of the privatisation plan two subsidiaries will be formed that will operate the airport and manage the estate.[9]
In June 2010 it was announced that the Airport was in the final stages of discussion with theBalfour Beatty Group about a management contract, with the objective of bringing additional commercial experience and resources to the Airport for the economic benefit of the region and to reduce the subvention from the City Council.[10]
The Belfast to Derry single-track railway line ofNorthern Ireland Railways passes close to but not across the tip of the runway at the North Eastern end. Because it is in theRunway End Safety Area, safety systems ensure that no train can pass when aircraft are taking off or landing.[11]
Ryanair axed its services toAlicante andBirmingham in 2014, followed by its service toFaro in 2016. In 2017, Ryanair axed its daily service toLondon Stansted.[12] In response, the airport submitted apublic service obligation request to theDepartment for Transport. The Northern Ireland Executive also agreed a multimillion-pound funding package for the airport.[13]Flybmi commenced operations on the Stansted route in 2017, with 13 weekly flights. These flights operated up until February 2019, when Flybmi ceased operations.
In October 2018, Ryanair replaced its Derry toGlasgow route with a new route toEdinburgh. Following this decision,Loganair resumed operations to Glasgow, having previously operated the route between 1979 and 2007.[14] In 2019 followingflybmi's collapse Loganair announced they would be taking on the route while adding a new service to Manchester.
Loganair ended flights toManchester in Early 2020 while also reverting flights back toLondon Stansted fromLondon Southend after previously being switched in September 2019.
In December 2020,Ryanair was forced to axe all of their flights from the UK to non-EU destinations (including UK Domestic routes) due to a row with theCivil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom). The CAA required that post-Brexit, all flights originating from the United Kingdom to non-EU-based destinations for airlines with a base airport in the United Kingdom use aircraft with a UK registration (Eg: G-ABCD). Due to this, Ryanair decided to axe these routes saying "The decision to cancel these flights was taken by Ryanair alone. We will continue to engage with the airline on these matters as we seek to act in the best interest of consumers".[15] The UK regional airlineLoganair will launch a route to Liverpool (Ryanair operated from Derry to Liverpool & Edinburgh), replacing the lostRyanair route, beginning 24 May 2021.
In October 2021Ryanair announced their return to the airport with a new service toManchester operating three times a week, which commenced at the beginning of December 2021.Loganair also announced a new route in late October to Edinburgh, this service would launch on the 17th of May 2022, and operates thrice weekly, increasing to five times weekly in the summer.
Loganair announced they would be ceasing all flights toEdinburgh from City of Derry Airport from January 3, 2023, as a resultLoganair stated they would be increasing the frequency ofGlasgow flights to daily.[16] In September 2023Loganair announced they would no longer operate scheduled flights between City of Derry andLiverpool, with regular services halting in October 2023, and only select dates between then and January 2024 available for purchase.[17]
In January 2024,Ryanair announced they would be launching a new service from Derry toBirmingham twice weekly.[18] It would be the first since a previousRyanair route connecting Birmingham and Derry was scrapped in 2014.[19]On 4th November 2024easyJet began flights to the airport for the very first time, re-establishing routes toEdinburgh andLiverpool twice weekly. In April 2025,easyJet announced the launch of a new route toBirmingham, replacing the service operated byRyanair which ceased at the end of March. The new route is the third new service easyJet has added to its City of Derry network in the last 12 months, making it the largest airline at the airport by destinations served.[20]
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Derry:[21]
| Airlines | Destinations |
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| easyJet | Birmingham (begins 1 September 2025),[22]Edinburgh,[23]Liverpool[23] |
| Loganair | Glasgow,[24]London–Heathrow[24] |
| Ryanair | Manchester[25] |
| Year | Number of Passengers[26] | Number of Movements[27] |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 56,043 | 3,121 |
| 1998 | 49,095 | 2,740 |
| 1999 | 103,504 | 2,329 |
| 2000 | 162,704 | 3,261 |
| 2001 | 187,519 | 4,736 |
| 2002 | 199,146 | 4,340 |
| 2003 | 205,505 | 4,728 |
| 2004 | 234,487 | 4,309 |
| 2005 | 199,357 | 4,146 |
| 2006 | 341,719 | 4,748 |
| 2007 | 427,586 | 5,733 |
| 2008 | 438,996 | 5,825 |
| 2009 | 345,857 | 4,185 |
| 2010 | 339,432 | 3,848 |
| 2011 | 405,697 | 3,839 |
| 2012 | 398,209 | 3,326 |
| 2013 | 384,973 | 3,156 |
| 2014 | 350,257 | 2,595 |
| 2015 | 284,485 | 1,927 |
| 2016 | 290,671 | 1,920 |
| 2017 | 193,981 | 5,156 |
| 2018 | 185,843 | 6,330 |
| 2019 | 203,272 | 3,063 |
| 2020 | 80,494 | 1,698 |
| 2021 | 73,024 | 2,184 |
| 2022 | 163,379 | 3,255 |
| 2023 | 154,486 | 7,110 |
| 2024 | 179,095 | 7,231 |
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| Rank | Airport | Total passengers | Change 2022 / 23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London–Heathrow | 74,523 |  59.3 |
| 2 | Manchester | 58,397 | 2.5% |
| 3 | Birmingham | 19,629 | NEW |
| 4 | Glasgow | 12,663 |  20.1% |
| 5 | Edinburgh | 5,266 | NEW |
| 6 | Liverpool | 4,603 | 57.0% |
| 7 | Faro | 1,795 | NEW |
| 8 | Malaga | 41 | NEW |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NIR Network Statement 2014
Media related toCity of Derry Airport at Wikimedia Commons
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