RAF Northolt

RAF Northolt
Ruislip, Greater London in England
Prime Minister Boris Johnson holding a bilateral summit with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, inside the RAF Northolt Officers' Mess, 7 March 2022
Latin: Aut portare aut pugnare prompti ("Ready to carry or to fight")[1]
RAF Northolt Shown within Greater London
Coordinates	51°33′11″N 000°25′06″W / 51.55306°N 0.41833°W / 51.55306; -0.41833
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support)
Website	Official website
Site history
Built	1915 (1915)
In use	1915–present
Garrison information
Occupants	No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron No. 63 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 600 Squadron (RAuxAF) No. 38 Expeditionary Air Wing HQ RAF Music Services Central Band of the RAF Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment 621 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron British Forces Post Office No. 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit Service Prosecution Authority
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: NHT, ICAO: EGWU, WMO: 03672
Elevation	124 ft (38 m) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 07/25 1,684 m (5,525 ft) Grooved asphalt
Source: RAF Northolt Defence Aerodrome Manual[2]

Royal Air Force Northolt or more simply RAF Northolt (IATA: NHT, ICAO: EGWU) is a Royal Air Force station in South Ruislip, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi)^[3] from Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, western Greater London, England, approximately 6 mi (10 km) north of Heathrow Airport. As London VIP Airport, the station handles many private civil flights (private planes of up to 29 passengers) in addition to Air Force flights.^[4][5][6][7]

Northolt has one runway in operation, spanning 1,687 m × 46 m (5,535 ft × 151 ft), with a grooved asphalt surface.^[3] This airport is used for government and VIP transport to and from London.

Northolt predates the establishment of the Royal Air Force by almost three years, having opened in May 1915, making it the oldest RAF base. Originally established for the Royal Flying Corps, it has the longest history of continuous use of any RAF airfield. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the station was the first to take delivery of the Hawker Hurricane. The station played a key role during the Battle of Britain, when fighters from several of its units, including No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron, engaged enemy aircraft as part of the defence of London. It became the first base to have squadrons operating Supermarine Spitfire aircraft within German airspace.

During the construction of Heathrow Airport, Northolt was used for commercial civil flights, becoming the busiest airport in Europe for a time and a major base for British European Airways. More recently the station has become the hub of British military flying operations in the London area. Northolt has been extensively redeveloped since 2006 to accommodate these changes, becoming home to the British Forces Post Office, which moved to a newly constructed headquarters and sorting office on the site. Units currently based at RAF Northolt are No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, the King's Colour Squadron, 600 (City of London) Squadron, No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit, the Air Historical Branch and the Central Band of the RAF.