University researchers examine cultural importance of Kirkwall Airport

Researchers from Robert Gordon University (RGU), in Aberdeen, will be hosting a week-long event at Kirkwall Airport this month, focused on the social and cultural importance of the airport to the communities it serves.

The event, which will run from October 10, will include a photo exhibition featuring both historical and more recent images of Kirkwall Airport, together with informal discussion group sessions around the significance of the facility.

The exhibition will be held in the airport terminal, with discussion groups taking place in the King Street Halls, Kirkwall, on the evenings of Tuesday, October 13, and Wednesday, October 14.

Researchers Dr Graeme Baxter and Lyndsay Bloice will use photos from the exhibition to invite participants to share memories of the local airport.

The visit is part of a larger research project with European funding on the importance of small airports.

SPARA 2020 (Smart Peripheral and Remote Airports) brings together partners from Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Norway and Australia in order to deliver increased innovation within the public service provision of airports.

Professor David Gray, leader of the research team at RGU, said: “Kirkwall Airport, or Grimsetter as those of a certain age may remember it, has always had great significance for the people of Orkney as a familiar gateway for travelling in and out. This study will establish just how valued it is by Orcadians.”