Ronaldsway Airport | international airport

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Isle of Man Airport (IATA: IOM, ICAO: EGNS) (also known as Ronaldsway Airport) is the main civilian airport of the Isle of Man. It is located to the south of the Island at Ronaldsway near Castletown, 6 nautical miles (11 km) southwest of Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man. The airport has scheduled services to the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands.

History
Ronaldsway was first used as an airfield in 1929 with passenger services to the UK starting in 1933, operated by Blackpool and West Coast Air Services (later West Coast Air Services). Further services were established by Aer Lingus and Railway Air Services but in 1937 most operations were amalgamated under the Isle of Man Air Services banner. In a 1936 expansion of the Ronaldsway Airport, workers discovered a mass grave believed to hold the remains of soldiers who died during the 1275 Battle of Ronaldsway.

Second World War

RAF Ronaldsway
The airfield came under Royal Air Force control at the outbreak of World War II. Known as RAF Ronaldsway, it was one of the few airfields that continued operating civilian flights throughout the wartime period.

The airfield was used by № 1 GDGS (Ground Defence and Gunnery School) operating Westland Wallace aircraft, the drogues from these aircraft being fired on from gun emplacements on Fort Island and Santon Head.

RAF operations continued until 1943 when the airfield was handed over to the Admiralty for further development as a Fleet Air Arm training station.

HMS Urley
Now a naval air station, RNAS Ronaldsway, the airport was taken out of commission in 1943 for almost twelve months of extensive development. By the summer of 1944 the airfield had evolved from a grass landing area with a few hangars to a four runway airfield with the infrastructure to house and operate three training squadrons using Fairey Barracuda torpedo bombers.

Renamed HMS Urley (Manx for Eagle) by the Admiralty operations recommenced in the summer of 1944, the airfield's main role being that of a torpedo working-up station. № 1 OTU consisted of №s 710, 713 and 747 Squadrons, Fleet Air Arm and these operated until the cessation of hostilities in 1945.

Post-war
The airport reverted to solely civilian flying almost immediately after the war, but the airfield remained in Admiralty possession until sold to the Isle of Man Government for £200,000 in 1948, far short of the £1 million that the UK Government had spent on constructing the airport buildings and runways, plus the £105,000 that was paid by the Admiralty in 1943 to purchase the site.

The Manx Military and Aviation Museum is situated next to the airport and has exhibits and information about the history of aviation on the island.

Extension
A project by Ellis Brown Architects began in November 1998 to extend the airport and improve the facilities available to passengers. In March 2000 the new extension was opened, providing a new landside catering outlet, arrivals area, baggage hall and departure lounge. The existing part of the airport was refurbished during this time to provide improved check-in facilities and offices, linked to the extension with a new airport entrance. During the extension and renovation period the iconic Three Legs of Mann sculpture adorning the airport's facade was also refurbished.

In March 2006 funding for a further extension was granted by Tynwald to increase the number of departure gates, with work due for completion in summer 2007.