Coll Island Airport
IataCOL
IcaoEGEL
OperatorArgyll and Bute Council
City-servedColl
LocationColl, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
Elevation-f20
Coordinates56°36′07″N 006°37′04″W
Metric-rwyY
R1-number02/20
R1-length-m501
R1-surfaceAsphalt

Coll Island Airport [1] is located 6 miles (10 km) west–southwest of Arinagour[2] on the island of Coll in the Inner Hebrides.[1]

History

Coll Airport was originally known as Ballard Farm, and opened in 1975, replacing the Totronald airfield. A brief closure in 1990, before re-opening the following year as an unlicensed air strip. In 2008, Coll Airport was formally opened with a hard surface runway.[3] During the Covid-19 pandemic, and lockdown in the United Kingdom, Coll Airport was unable to utilise a fixed-wing air ambulance due to the length of runway. With no suitable helicopter landing pad, this meant the island had no access to Medivac.[4]

Highland Airways who originally operated the route to Oban went into administration in 2010,[5]. Following the administration, Loganair operated the flights until 2023.[6] Following a competitive tender process, Hebridean Air Services were appointed the new operator from 2024 of the PSO (Public service obligation) route with flights to Oban and Tiree using Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ "Isle Of Coll (COL) - Airport details". Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
  2. ^ "EGEL Coll". NATS eAIS. 16 April 2026. pp. AD 2.1, AD 2.12. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  3. ^ "Ballard Farm (Coll)". abct.org.uk
  4. ^ "What is life like on Scotland's Hebrides during the coronavirus pandemic?". itv.com
  5. ^ "Highland Airways goes into administration". BBC News Online. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  6. ^ "'Improved' air links to Glasgow for islands". bbc.co.uk
  7. ^ "Stornoway to Benbecula flights to get new operator". bbc.co.uk
  8. ^ "Hebridean Air Services - Invaluable connections". key.aero
  9. ^ "Extra air services for island communities". argyll-bute.gov.uk