Edinburgh's airport began in 1916 as Turnhouse Aerodrome, a Royal Flying Corps base defending the Firth of Forth against Zeppelin raids. At the time, it was the most northerly airfield in Britain. It stayed under military control through both world wars, gaining a paved runway during the Second World War. Civil flights grew only slowly afterward, on a runway poorly lined up with the prevailing wind.
The modern airport dates from the 1970s. A new runway, 06/24, and a new terminal opened in 1977, changing the whole field completely and for good. The British Airports Authority took charge in 1971 and was sold to private owners in 1987. Years later, a competition inquiry forced that owner to sell Edinburgh, which went to Global Infrastructure Partners in 2012 and later on to Vinci Airports.
Traffic grew fast as budget airlines expanded and Scottish tourism boomed, passing 14 million yearly passengers before the pandemic hit and setting new records again soon afterward. Edinburgh is now clearly Scotland's busiest airport by far, with long flights to North America and the Gulf alongside a dense network of short hops. A tram line has run from the terminal into the city center since 2014.