RAF Errol

Post-World War II military drawdown. The airfield was built as a temporary wartime measure and was deemed surplus to requirements following the end of hostilities. Flying operations largely ceased in 1945, the station was placed under 'Care and Maintenance' in 1947, and was officially sold off in 1948.

The site of the former RAF Errol is now a multi-purpose commercial and agricultural area. The original runway layout is still clearly visible from satellite imagery, though the surfaces are degraded. The site is famously home to the 'Errol Sunday Market', one of Scotland's largest outdoor markets and car boot sales, which utilizes the old runways and hardstandings. Additionally, the location has been developed into the Errol Airfield Industrial Estate, hosting a variety of businesses, storage facilities, and light industrial units. Some of the land has reverted to agricultural use. While many original buildings have been demolished, some remnants of the wartime infrastructure, including sections of the perimeter track and a few Nissen huts or other structures, may still exist in various states of repair.

RAF Errol was a significant World War II training airfield that opened in January 1943. Its primary purpose was to serve as a training facility for pilots. It initially operated as a satellite station for RAF Tealing. The main unit based at Errol was No. 9 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit ((P)AFU), which used aircraft like the Miles Master and Airspeed Oxford to train new pilots who had completed their basic training. A particularly unique and historically important role for RAF Errol was its involvement in the Lend-Lease program with the Soviet Union. In 1943, No. 305 Ferry Training Unit (FTU) was established at the airfield specifically to train Soviet aircrews to fly the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle transport aircraft. These aircraft were then flown by the trained Russian crews to the Eastern Front. This operation made Errol a key, albeit brief, point of Anglo-Soviet cooperation during the war. The airfield was constructed with the typical Class A airfield layout, featuring three concrete runways.

There are no known or credible plans to reopen RAF Errol as a functioning airport. The site's current use as a major market venue and industrial estate, combined with the significant degradation of the original aviation infrastructure over more than 75 years, makes any prospect of reopening for aviation purposes highly unfeasible and economically unviable.