Early years An airfield has existed on Benbecula since 1936 when
Scottish Airways began operating to what was known as
Balivanich Airfield, located on the north west corner of the island.
Second World War Between 1941 and 1942, during the
Second World War, the airfield became
RAF Benbecula, when it came under the control of the
Royal Air Force's No. 15 (GR) Group,
Coastal Command. During this period it was home to aircraft carrying out patrols in the Atlantic,
protecting shipping convoys from
German U-Boats. At its peak, RAF Benbecula had several thousand troops stationed at the station and at several other sites around the islands. The following units were based at the airfield at some point: •
No. 36 Squadron RAF •
No. 179 Squadron RAF •
No. 206 Squadron RAF •
No. 220 Squadron RAF •
No. 279 Squadron RAF •
No. 455 Squadron RAAF •
814 Naval Air Squadron •
819 Naval Air Squadron •
838 Naval Air Squadron •
842 Naval Air Squadron •
No. 2841 Squadron RAF Regiment Postwar The airfield later became the control centre for the nearby Hebrides Rocket Range. After the Second World War, the airfield became Benbecula Airport. ==Airlines and destinations==