Weston Airport

For The Airport, Weston (Somerset), see Weston-super-Mare Airport.
Weston Airport
Aerfort Weston
IATA: none – ICAO: EIWT
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Brian Conneely & Co
Operator Weston Airport Ltd.
Serves Dublin
Location Leixlip, County Kildare
Elevation AMSL 155 ft / 47 m
Coordinates 53°21′08″N 006°29′18″W / 53.35222°N 6.48833°W / 53.35222; -6.48833 (Weston Airport)Coordinates: 53°21′08″N 006°29′18″W / 53.35222°N 6.48833°W / 53.35222; -6.48833 (Weston Airport)
Website www.WestonAirport.com
Map
EIWT

Location within Ireland

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 924 + Stopway 457 = 1,381 3,030 Asphalt
Source: Irish AIS[1]

Weston Airport or Aerfort Weston is a publicly licensed general aviation airport serving Dublin, Ireland and surrounding areas. Also known as Dublin Weston, it is located at Leixlip, County Kildare 8 NM (15 km; 9.2 mi)[1] west of Dublin. Its traffic is primarily private and commercial flight training as well as business/executive.

History

Weston Ltd De Havilland Dragon Rapide on a charter flight from Weston at Liverpool Airport in 1949

Weston Aerodrome was originally founded in 1931 (licensed circa 1937) by Darby Kennedy, who, from 1946, operated a de Havilland Dragon and several Dragon Rapide aircraft commercially from the Weston flying field, operated under the name Weston Ltd. The charter flights frequently took the biplane airliners to airfields in the United Kingdom. The commercial flight operation ceased in the late 1950s.[2]

Also operated from the airfield was a flying school for private pilots with several Tiger Moth trainer biplanes, an Auster high-wing monoplane and from 1960 two Morane-Saulnier-Rallye four-seater low-winged aeroplanes.

The airport was upgraded from a grass runway in the 1980s when a tarmac runway was laid.

The main terminal was completed in 2005 along with the control tower and other services..

Developed over many years by Jim Mansfield, the airport was taken over by the National Asset Management Agency in 2011.[3]

In 2015, over 40 aircraft are based at Weston. The airport has 15 direct employees with another 100 indirect jobs arising from airport tenancies and related activities.

Popular culture

Several air displays were organised over the years, and Weston was also the base for making the air combat film about the First World War The Blue Max which starred George Peppard in 1966. The aircraft ground scenes were shot at the airfield, which is not to be confused with RAF Weston-on-the-Green, in England, which has no tarmac runway.

Rousseau D-V11s, from Lynn Garrison’s collection, prepare for film flight, Weston Aerodrome, Ireland, 1970.

Location and Facilities

Weston Airport lies between Celbridge and Lucan, just off Exit 5 on the M4, on the R403 regional road. The Airport is located on approximately 250 acres of land and incorporates about 9000 m2 of operations buildings, an air traffic control tower and three large aircraft hangars

Weston Airport has a restaurant and conference room.

An aviation academy is currently under construction. The main flight school which operates from the airfield also has a Boeing 737 flight simulator which is open for use by the public.

References

  1. 1 2 EIWT – WESTON (PDF). AIP and charts from the Irish Aviation Authority.
  2. ↑ Merton Jones A.C., British Independent Airlines since 1946, Merseyside Aviation Society, 1977, ISBN 0-902420-10-0.
  3. ↑ NAMA's Weston airport starting to turn around as buyer sought, Irish Independent, 20 September, 2011

External links

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