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EspañolEXETER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
(Redirected from Exeter Airport)
'Exeter International Airport' is an international airport close to the city of Exeter in the county of Devon, England. A majority share of the airport has recently been sold by Devon County Council to Regional and City Airports; a consortium comprising construction firm Balfour Beatty and London City Airport.
The runway is '08/26', and although there are two smaller runways, they are now disused and used for aircraft storage.
The main airline using the airport is low-cost airline Flybe, which is based at Exeter. Flybe also has two maintenance hangars built in 2005 and 2006, which are equipped to service Bombardier Q400 and BAe 146 aircraft which from the major part of Flybe's fleet.
From Winter 2007, First Choice Airways will have an Airbus A320 aircraft based at the airport full time. It is unclear if First Choice Airways will open up a cabin crew base at the airport. The basing of the aircraft follows the closure of the First Choice base at Cardiff International Airport.
Transatlantic services are operated to Toronto by Air Transat and Flyglobespan. Both flights currently operate once a week.
Other airlines with services to Exeter are Skybus as well as various summer and winter charters, such as First Choice Airways, Balkan Holidays, Spanair and Air Europa. Scheduled services are usually operated with Q400 (Dash 8), BAe 146, Embraer ERJ-195 and Twin Otter aircraft.
The part ownership of the airport by London City Airport has fuelled rumours that an airline, often thought to be VLM, will commence service between Exeter and London City Airport.
However, the route expansion plans for Exeter are being limited by the relatively small apron size, with only 11 useable stands for parking. The airport has proposed an apron expansion which will mean the removal of the grass apron area; providing parking for 7 new stands.
★ Air Transat (Toronto-Pearson)
★ Flybe (Aberdeen, Alicante, Amsterdam, Avignon, Belfast-City, Bergerac, Brest, Chambery ''Seasonal'', Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva ''Seasonal'', Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Malaga, Manchester, Newcastle, Nice, Norwich, Palma, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rennes, Salzburg ''Seasonal'')
★ Flyglobespan (Toronto-Hamilton) ''seasonal''
★ Isles of Scilly Skybus (St. Mary's)
The airport has a number of seasonal charter destinations. Destinations available from Exeter include:
★ Austria: Innsbruck
★ Bulgaria: Bourgas
★ Cyprus: Larnaca, Paphos
★ Greek Islands: Corfu, Crete
★ Italy: Verona
★ Medeira: Funchal
★ Malta: Luqa
★ Spanish Balearics: Ibiza, Menorca
★ Spanish Canaries: Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Tenerife
★ Tunisia: Monastir
★ Turkey: Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman
This list excludes already scheduled destinations.
The airport has a large general aviation community and is regularly used as a staging point for longer flights across South West England.
Exeter International has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P759) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
The airfield had originated as a grass field for club flying before being constructed in 1937 and formerly opened on 30 July 1938 as Exeter Airport at a cost of about £20,000.
With the advent of World War II the landing area was increased to around 3,000 ft north to south and 4,500 ft east to west in the early months of the war. An asphalt perimeter track and several hardstands for aircraft parking followed and in 1941 hard-surfaced runways were put down. These were 4,350 ft aligned 13-31, 4,070 ft aligned 08-26 and 2,700 ft at 02-20.
In 1942, the 08-26 runway was extended in length to 6,000 ft in a general upgrading. In the early years, the airfield had gained 19 small, fighter-type pan hardstandings and 14 double pens. Nine concrete loops were added on the northern side of the air-field early in 1944. Hangars, gathered over the years, were one Hinaida, six Over Blisters and four Extra Over Blisters.
During World War II 'RAF Exeter' was important RAF Fighter Command airfield during the Battle of Britain, with some some two dozen different RAF fighter squadrons being stationed there for varying periods through 1944, and just about all the operational fighter types of those years had been present.
RAF Exeter was also used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) Ninth Air Force as a D-Day troop transport base with Douglas C-47 Skytrain transports dropping paratroops near Carentan to land on the Normandy Beachhead. It was also known as USAAF Station 463.
RAF Exeter was home to the following Squadrons of No 10 Group during the Battle of Britain:
★ No 213 Squadron from 18 June 1940
★ No 87 Squadron from 5 July 1940
★ No 601 Squadron from 7 September 1940
Despite extensive efforts at camouflage, including painting the runways, Exeter attracted the Luftwaffe on a number of occasions during the early years of the conflict and a few of the administrative and technical buildings were destroyed.
Exeter met the requirement of basing USAAF troop carrier groups close to where units of the 101st Airborne Division were located and within reasonable range of the expected area of operations.
The 440th Troop Carrier Group arrived on 15 April 1944 with over 70 C-47/C-54 Skytrain aircraft. There was insufficient hardstandings to accommodate all the aircraft so many had to be parked on the turf, some areas being supported by tarmac.
The 440th was a group of Ninth Air Force's 50th Troop Carrier Wing, IX Troop Carrier Command.
The group dropped paratroops near Carentan in the early hours of 6 June and the following day delivered parapacks containing fuel and ammunition to the same area. Accurate flak accounted for three C-47s on D-Day and a further three were lost on the resupply mission, one of the latter in a freak accident when struck by bombs accidentally released from a P-47 Thunderbolt.
As soon as satisfactory landing grounds were available in the Normandy beachhead, the 440th shuttled C-47s to and from France, often evacuating wounded.
As with the other groups of the 50th Troop Carrier Wing, the 440th sent three squadrons, the 95th, 96th, and 97th TCSs. to Italy on 17/18 July, where they operated from Ombronc airfield hauling supplies to Rome before taking part in the airborne invasion of southern France, Operation "Dragoon", on 18 August. The 98th TCS returned to Exeter on 23 August 1944 and the following day the other squadrons returned from the Mediterranean.
The 98th TCS remained at Exeter until 7 August when it began operating from RAF Ramsbury. Three days later it dropped parapacks to a US infantry battalion that had become encircled at Marlain when the German Army attempted to launch a counter-offensive.
On 11 September the headquarters of the 440th TCG was established at the group's new base al Reims, France (ALG A-62D), and the last of the air echelon left Exeter two days later. Nevertheless. the airfield was still used by the USAAF Ninth Air Force for the air evacuation of wounded and a station complement squadron remained until November.
Walruses of an RAF air-sea rescue flight were the next tenants and these were joined by a glider training unit early in 1945.
Post-war, Exeter was reclaimed by Fighter Command and a French Supermarine Spitfire squadron, No. 329, which came and stayed until November 1945. Meteors and Mosquitos made a brief appearance the following spring.
No. 691 Squadron's target-towing Vultee A-31 Vengeances, which had been present for more than a year, proved to be the last RAF flying unit of the Second World War period based a Exeter.
When No. 691 Squadron departed in the summer of 1946, the station was made available for civil use, being officially transferred la the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 1 January 1947 although there was still some reserve RAF activity until the 1950s.
Scheduled services to the Channel Islands began in 1952 and charter flights to various locations followed. A new terminal building was opened in the early 1980s and various other improvements, including a runway extension. were carried out over following years to establish Exeter International as an important airport in the West Country.
★ List of RAF stations
★ USAAF Ninth Air Force - World War II
★ 101st Airborne Division
★ Freeman, Roger A., ''UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now'', 1994
★ Maurer Maurer, ''Air Force Combat Units Of World War II'', Office of Air Force History, 1983
★ ArmyAirForces.com 440th Troop Carrier Group http://www.armyairforces.com/dbgroups.asp?Group=52
★ Exeter Airport official website
'Exeter International Airport' is an international airport close to the city of Exeter in the county of Devon, England. A majority share of the airport has recently been sold by Devon County Council to Regional and City Airports; a consortium comprising construction firm Balfour Beatty and London City Airport.
The runway is '08/26', and although there are two smaller runways, they are now disused and used for aircraft storage.
Airlines and destinations
The main airline using the airport is low-cost airline Flybe, which is based at Exeter. Flybe also has two maintenance hangars built in 2005 and 2006, which are equipped to service Bombardier Q400 and BAe 146 aircraft which from the major part of Flybe's fleet.
From Winter 2007, First Choice Airways will have an Airbus A320 aircraft based at the airport full time. It is unclear if First Choice Airways will open up a cabin crew base at the airport. The basing of the aircraft follows the closure of the First Choice base at Cardiff International Airport.
Transatlantic services are operated to Toronto by Air Transat and Flyglobespan. Both flights currently operate once a week.
Other airlines with services to Exeter are Skybus as well as various summer and winter charters, such as First Choice Airways, Balkan Holidays, Spanair and Air Europa. Scheduled services are usually operated with Q400 (Dash 8), BAe 146, Embraer ERJ-195 and Twin Otter aircraft.
The part ownership of the airport by London City Airport has fuelled rumours that an airline, often thought to be VLM, will commence service between Exeter and London City Airport.
However, the route expansion plans for Exeter are being limited by the relatively small apron size, with only 11 useable stands for parking. The airport has proposed an apron expansion which will mean the removal of the grass apron area; providing parking for 7 new stands.
Scheduled destinations
★ Air Transat (Toronto-Pearson)
★ Flybe (Aberdeen, Alicante, Amsterdam, Avignon, Belfast-City, Bergerac, Brest, Chambery ''Seasonal'', Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva ''Seasonal'', Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Malaga, Manchester, Newcastle, Nice, Norwich, Palma, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rennes, Salzburg ''Seasonal'')
★ Flyglobespan (Toronto-Hamilton) ''seasonal''
★ Isles of Scilly Skybus (St. Mary's)
Charter destinations
The airport has a number of seasonal charter destinations. Destinations available from Exeter include:
★ Austria: Innsbruck
★ Bulgaria: Bourgas
★ Cyprus: Larnaca, Paphos
★ Greek Islands: Corfu, Crete
★ Italy: Verona
★ Medeira: Funchal
★ Malta: Luqa
★ Spanish Balearics: Ibiza, Menorca
★ Spanish Canaries: Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Tenerife
★ Tunisia: Monastir
★ Turkey: Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman
This list excludes already scheduled destinations.
General Aviation
The airport has a large general aviation community and is regularly used as a staging point for longer flights across South West England.
Exeter International has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P759) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
History
Exeter airfield, 20 May 1944
The airfield had originated as a grass field for club flying before being constructed in 1937 and formerly opened on 30 July 1938 as Exeter Airport at a cost of about £20,000.
Wartime use
With the advent of World War II the landing area was increased to around 3,000 ft north to south and 4,500 ft east to west in the early months of the war. An asphalt perimeter track and several hardstands for aircraft parking followed and in 1941 hard-surfaced runways were put down. These were 4,350 ft aligned 13-31, 4,070 ft aligned 08-26 and 2,700 ft at 02-20.
In 1942, the 08-26 runway was extended in length to 6,000 ft in a general upgrading. In the early years, the airfield had gained 19 small, fighter-type pan hardstandings and 14 double pens. Nine concrete loops were added on the northern side of the air-field early in 1944. Hangars, gathered over the years, were one Hinaida, six Over Blisters and four Extra Over Blisters.
During World War II 'RAF Exeter' was important RAF Fighter Command airfield during the Battle of Britain, with some some two dozen different RAF fighter squadrons being stationed there for varying periods through 1944, and just about all the operational fighter types of those years had been present.
RAF Exeter was also used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) Ninth Air Force as a D-Day troop transport base with Douglas C-47 Skytrain transports dropping paratroops near Carentan to land on the Normandy Beachhead. It was also known as USAAF Station 463.
Battle of Britain
RAF Exeter was home to the following Squadrons of No 10 Group during the Battle of Britain:
★ No 213 Squadron from 18 June 1940
★ No 87 Squadron from 5 July 1940
★ No 601 Squadron from 7 September 1940
Despite extensive efforts at camouflage, including painting the runways, Exeter attracted the Luftwaffe on a number of occasions during the early years of the conflict and a few of the administrative and technical buildings were destroyed.
USAAF Use
Exeter met the requirement of basing USAAF troop carrier groups close to where units of the 101st Airborne Division were located and within reasonable range of the expected area of operations.
440th Troop Carrier Group
5 June 1944 photograph of C-47s of the 95th and 98th Troop Carrier Squadrons at RAF Exeter with freshly applied black/white invasion stripes to aid in aircraft identification from the ground. There was insufficient space to park all the aircraft on the concrete, so many were parked on grass turf.
The 440th Troop Carrier Group arrived on 15 April 1944 with over 70 C-47/C-54 Skytrain aircraft. There was insufficient hardstandings to accommodate all the aircraft so many had to be parked on the turf, some areas being supported by tarmac.
The 440th was a group of Ninth Air Force's 50th Troop Carrier Wing, IX Troop Carrier Command.
The group dropped paratroops near Carentan in the early hours of 6 June and the following day delivered parapacks containing fuel and ammunition to the same area. Accurate flak accounted for three C-47s on D-Day and a further three were lost on the resupply mission, one of the latter in a freak accident when struck by bombs accidentally released from a P-47 Thunderbolt.
As soon as satisfactory landing grounds were available in the Normandy beachhead, the 440th shuttled C-47s to and from France, often evacuating wounded.
As with the other groups of the 50th Troop Carrier Wing, the 440th sent three squadrons, the 95th, 96th, and 97th TCSs. to Italy on 17/18 July, where they operated from Ombronc airfield hauling supplies to Rome before taking part in the airborne invasion of southern France, Operation "Dragoon", on 18 August. The 98th TCS returned to Exeter on 23 August 1944 and the following day the other squadrons returned from the Mediterranean.
The 98th TCS remained at Exeter until 7 August when it began operating from RAF Ramsbury. Three days later it dropped parapacks to a US infantry battalion that had become encircled at Marlain when the German Army attempted to launch a counter-offensive.
On 11 September the headquarters of the 440th TCG was established at the group's new base al Reims, France (ALG A-62D), and the last of the air echelon left Exeter two days later. Nevertheless. the airfield was still used by the USAAF Ninth Air Force for the air evacuation of wounded and a station complement squadron remained until November.
Postwar Use
Walruses of an RAF air-sea rescue flight were the next tenants and these were joined by a glider training unit early in 1945.
Post-war, Exeter was reclaimed by Fighter Command and a French Supermarine Spitfire squadron, No. 329, which came and stayed until November 1945. Meteors and Mosquitos made a brief appearance the following spring.
No. 691 Squadron's target-towing Vultee A-31 Vengeances, which had been present for more than a year, proved to be the last RAF flying unit of the Second World War period based a Exeter.
When No. 691 Squadron departed in the summer of 1946, the station was made available for civil use, being officially transferred la the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 1 January 1947 although there was still some reserve RAF activity until the 1950s.
Scheduled services to the Channel Islands began in 1952 and charter flights to various locations followed. A new terminal building was opened in the early 1980s and various other improvements, including a runway extension. were carried out over following years to establish Exeter International as an important airport in the West Country.
See also
★ List of RAF stations
★ USAAF Ninth Air Force - World War II
★ 101st Airborne Division
References
★ Freeman, Roger A., ''UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now'', 1994
★ Maurer Maurer, ''Air Force Combat Units Of World War II'', Office of Air Force History, 1983
★ ArmyAirForces.com 440th Troop Carrier Group http://www.armyairforces.com/dbgroups.asp?Group=52
External links
★ Exeter Airport official website
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