Lothian Airlink
Edinburgh City to Airport bus
The Airlink 100 is a bus service operated by Lothian Buses, which links Edinburgh City Centre, Haymarket, Edinburgh Zoo, and Corstorphine with Edinburgh Airport. It is operated by a fleet of high-specification Volvo B8L Alexander Dennis Enviro400 XLB tri-axle double decker buses, presented in a distinctive blue and red livery.
Airlink operates as a premium airport link, featuring a uniform high-specification fleet, rather than the mixed vehicles seen on other Lothian routes, this combined with the services frequency has made it particularly popular with passengers.
History
In the 1990s, the service operated under "Airline" branding, using a standard fleet of Leyland Olympians in a light blue livery distinct from Lothian's madder red city fleet. From 1999 to 2001 they were replaced by low-floor Dennis Trident 2 buses with Plaxton President bodies, marking a shift towards accessibility. Around this time the Airlink brand was introduced, with the service now being presented as a premium airport connection focusing on enhanced comfort.
In 2010, the Airlink fleet was modernised again, with the introduction of 14 Wright Eclipse Gemini 2-bodied Volvo B9TLs. These buses featured leather seats, USB charging, onboard Wi-Fi, CCTV, and dedicated luggage racks on the bottom deck, reinforcing the premium image of the brand.
In 2015, 12 Wright Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B5TLs were added to the fleet, featuring a lighter blue body with gold accents and trim, the same livery later used on the Skylink 200/400 services, which are now under Lothian City branding and operate as services 17 and 18.
In 2017, Airlink became the first Lothian service to pilot contactless payments, allowing passengers to tap smartphones or credit cards for to pay for the bus.
The public source identifies “Lothian Airlink” as edinburgh City to Airport bus. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lothian, Airlink and Edinburgh.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Lothian Airlink”, the useful work is to connect “edinburgh City to Airport bus” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q135350486. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1999, 2001, 2010 and 2015.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lothian Airlink”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lothian Airlink primary sources, Lothian Airlink archive and Lothian research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Lothian Airlink” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.