Private Jet Charter Papa Westray

Flying to Papa Westray

Papa Westray sits at the northern extreme of the Orkney archipelago, a community of under 100 residents accessible by ferry or by light aircraft. Its airstrip, EGEP, is a grass and packed-gravel field with no instrument approaches and no permanent handling infrastructure — operations here are purely VFR, and any arrival requires advance coordination with Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), which manages the field under its inter-island network.<br><br>From a private aviation standpoint, EGEP is not a primary charter destination in the conventional sense. It is, however, occasionally used for bespoke island-hopping itineraries, wildlife retreats, and heritage tourism centred on the Knap of Howar — one of Europe's oldest standing stone buildings. Operators typically position from Kirkwall Airport (KOI) on Mainland Orkney, the regional hub with a sealed runway and basic general aviation handling, before continuing to Papa Westray on a single-engine or twin-engine light aircraft.<br><br>The island has no hotels, no fuel depot, and no customs facility. All international movements must be pre-cleared through UK Border Force via prior arrangement, and fuel uplift requires pre-positioning. Operationally, Papa Westray suits expeditionary and ultra-private travel rather than conventional business aviation. The logistical baseline must be set well in advance, and ground support coordinated through the broader Orkney handler network operating out of <a href="/airports/kirkwall">Kirkwall Airport</a>.