Aberdeen International Airport

Land acquired in 1931, opened in 1934. Initially for linking the Northern Isles with London. Became an RAF base in WWII and although fighters were based there during the Battle of Britain, it was mainly a Photographic Reconnaisance base. In 1947, it became part of the British Airports Authority.

The first energy industry rotary wing operations began in 1967, and as the offshore hydrocarbon sector grew, so did traffic. In 2003 with over 35000 helicopter movements, Aberdeen was the busiest rotary wing base in the world.

The CHC Scotia and Bristow aprons are to the west side; the Bond apron is on the east side. To the NE, adjacent to the railway station, is the RelyOn Nutec safety centre, with Lynx XZ232 in use as a training aid.

Aberdeen Airport is the world's busiest heliport, with ~75,000 aircraft movements in 2023, nearly half being helicopters (~37,000 rotary flights). It transports ~468,000 offshore passengers annually, mainly for North Sea oil and gas operations.