Prior to 1972, there was no airport in the Falkland Islands with a paved (sealed)
runway, and all passenger movements to the islands had to be undertaken by boat. In the early 1970s, the
Falkland Islands Company decided to withdraw its monthly supply ship to
Montevideo,
Uruguay, increasing the need for an air-link to the
South American mainland. In 1971, the
Argentine Air Force broke the islands' isolation, starting with amphibious flights from
Comodoro Rivadavia with
Grumman HU-16B Albatross aircraft operated by
LADE. In 1973, the
United Kingdom signed a Communications Agreement with
Argentina for funding an airstrip on the islands. Flights took place again from
Comodoro Rivadavia, this time with
Fokker F-28 twin jet aircraft. This service was maintained until 1982, representing the only connection to the islands. At first, these flights landed at a temporary airstrip at
Hookers Point at the east end of
Port Stanley, where the runway was constructed of
Marston Mat (also known as pierced steel planking or PSP). This situation continued until
1978, when a storm tore up large areas of the PSP runway, rendering it unusable. By this time however, a permanent solution was in hand, and on 1 May 1979, a new airport was opened at
Cape Pembroke by Sir
Vivian Fuchs with a paved runway. It immediately became home to the
Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) with its
Britten-Norman Islanders and
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers.
Falklands War During the
Falklands War of 1982, invading Argentine forces occupied Port Stanley Airport. The
Argentine Air Force were unable to station their most advanced fighter jets at the base, given the relatively short runway, and the risk of attack by the British. However, several air force
FMA IA 58 Pucarás, together with
Argentine Navy Aermacchi MB-339 and
T-34 Mentor for
close air support and
air reconnaissance were based at the airport. The Pucarás were deployed against the
British land forces, shooting down a
Westland Scout; and the Aermacchis against the
British Fleet. On 1 May 1982, the
Royal Air Force (RAF) bombed the airport in
Operation Black Buck, and several additional raids were carried out by embarked
Sea Harriers. Throughout the conflict, the airport installations were attacked with 237 bombs, 1,200 shells by deployed
Royal Navy ships, and sixteen missiles. The forty-two bombs dropped by the two Black Buck missions left twin strings of craters which are still visible on satellite photos of the airport today. However, none of these attacks ever put the airfield out of action entirely, and even both Black Buck raids only managed to score one direct hit on the runway, which was repaired sufficiently to allow for
Lockheed C-130 Hercules,
Lockheed L-188 Electra, and
Fokker F-28 transport aircraft to resume night supply flights within 48 hours. These flights continued to bring supplies, weapons, vehicles, and fuel, and airlift out the wounded until the end of the conflict. The Argentines left the runway covered with piles of earth during the day, in an attempt to mislead the British regarding the condition of the airfield. In fact, the British were well aware that C-130 flights continued to use the airfield, and attempted to interdict these flights leading to the loss of one C-130 on 1 June, which was not, however, engaged in any resupply mission. During the war, the Argentines also mined
Yorke Bay to the north of the airport and Surf / Rookery Bays to the south-east with
minimum metal mines; under the presumption the British would attempt an
amphibious landing on the east coast of
East Falkland to quickly recapture both the airfield and Stanley in one fell swoop. However, these minefields proved unnecessary when the British opted instead to land at
San Carlos on the west coast of East Falkland, and attack overland towards Stanley. The beaches surrounding Port Stanley Airport remained heavily mined long after the war, as demining had been deemed impractical due to the constantly drifting
sand dunes, and the disruption that would be done to the breeding colonies of the threatened
Magellanic penguin, which continued to thrive on the beaches (being too light to set off the mines). However, the UK eventually commenced these operations in 2009 to comply with the
Ottawa Treaty. On 14 November 2020, the island was declared free of landmines.
Post conflict After the war, the
Royal Air Force (RAF) remained in the Falkland Islands, and took over the airport, renaming it
RAF Stanley. Immediately after the conflict, air defence of the islands and garrison was carried out by Royal Navy
Sea Harrier FRS.1 and RAF
Harrier GR.3 at RAF Stanley and from the aircraft carrier, , on standing patrol. The runway was extended to , paved with aluminium planking, and had
arrester equipment installed to allow
RAF F-4M Phantom fighters, initially some of those of
No. 29 Squadron RAF, to be based on the island as air defence. The unit was known as 'PhanDet' until 1 April 1983, when the detachment achieved
squadron status following the rundown of
No. 23 Squadron RAF in the UK, and the resultant transfer of its 'nameplate' from
RAF Wattisham to the RAF Stanley unit. The Harrier detachment was renamed
No. 1453 Flight, and remained at RAF Stanley to provide standby air defence, in event of excessive crosswinds, until
RAF Mount Pleasant was opened in 1985. In addition, long range
Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of
No. 1312 Flight, resident at RAF Stanley, provided
tanker support for the Phantom fighters, and transport for local (
South Georgia) tasks. The airport was also used by the C-130s of the 'air bridge' from
Ascension Island for trooping, cargo, and many other essentials until RAF Mount Pleasant became operational. In
1985, RAF Mount Pleasant opened, and in April
1986, Port Stanley Airport returned to civilian use. The temporary aluminium planking runway extension was removed, bringing the main 09/27 runway down to its present length and width of . Although flights from
Chile by regional airline
Aerovias DAP did use the airport in the early 1990s, for the most part, external services have used
RAF Mount Pleasant since it opened. ==Current status==