Barra Airport

For the airport in Brazil, see Barra Airport (Brazil).

Barra Airport (Scottish Gaelic: Port-adhair Bharraigh) (IATA: BRR, ICAO: EGPR) (also known as Barra Eoligarry Airport) is a short-runway airport (or STOLport) situated in the wide shallow bay of Traigh Mhòr at the northern tip of the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The airport is unique, believed to be the only one in the world where scheduled flights use a tidal beach as the runway.^[3][4] The airport is operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, which owns most of the regional airports in mainland Scotland and the outlying islands. Barra Airport opened in 1936.^[5] The airport's only destination is Glasgow.^[6]

Barra Airport Port-adhair Bharraigh
IATA: BRR ICAO: EGPR
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	HIAL
Location	Barra Na h-Eileanan Siar
Elevation AMSL	1−4 ft / 0–1 m
Coordinates	57°01′22″N 07°26′35″W
Website	Barra Airport
Map
EGPR Location of airport in Scotland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 07/25 799 2,621 Sand 11/29 680 2,231 Sand 15/33 846 2,776 Sand
Statistics (2022)
Passengers 13,102 Passenger change 21-22 32% Aircraft Movements 1,456 Movements change 21-22 17%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

The beach is also popular with visitors and cockle pickers, who are asked to observe the windsock to see if the airport is in operation. In 2011, Barra Airport was voted No.1 in the world's top airport approaches by a poll conducted by PrivateFly.com, up from 10th place in 2010.^[7]

Infrastructure

The beach is set out with three runways in a triangle, marked by permanent wooden poles at their ends, in directions 07/25, 11/29, 15/33. This almost always allows the DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft that serve the airport to land into the wind. At high tide these runways are under the sea; flight times vary with the tide. Emergency flights occasionally operate at night from the airport, with vehicle lights used to illuminate the runway and reflective strips laid on to the beach.^[8]

Barra Airport also has a Civil Aviation Authority Ordinary Licence (Number P792) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Highlands & Islands Airports Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.^[9]

Airline and destination

Airlines	Destinations
Loganair[5]	Glasgow[5]

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at BRR airport. See Wikidata query.

Gallery

• 
  Plane taxiing on arrival
• 
  The airport runway – An Tràigh Mhòr ("The Great Beach")
• 
  Barra Airport, with plane on final approach
• 
  Twin Otter landing at Barra Airport
• 
  Twin Otter at Barra airport, ground crew preparing for takeoff

References

1. "Wick – EGPC". Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
2. "Data and analysis | Civil Aviation Authority".
3. "Barra Airport". Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
4. "Island airport offers dream job working on the beach". BBC News. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
5. Arnaud, Stan (21 July 2021). "£2 million makeover planned for Barra Airport – but 'bucket list' beach runways will stay". Press and Journal. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
6. "Barra airport destinations". Barra Airport – HIAL. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
7. "Top 10 Airport Approaches 2011". PrivateFly.com. November 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
8. Khan, Stephen (10 November 2002). "Dogfight over Barra to keep air link open". The Observer. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
9. Civil Aviation Authority Aerodrome Ordinary Licences Archived 28 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Barra Airport – official website
• Departure from Traigh Mhor Airfield, Barra, Hebrides

Further reading

• Times subject to Tides – The Story of Barra Airport, Roy Calderwood, Kea Publishing 1999 ISBN 978-0-9518958-3-2 http://www.keapublishing.com