Andøya Airport, Andenes
Encyclopedia
Andøya Airport, Andenes (Norwegian: Andøya lufthavn, Andenes) is the airport serving Andenes
, Norway
, in the municipality of Andøy
. It is located right next to the town of Andenes (1 NM south, and covers major parts of the northern tip of island Andøya
. It is part of Andøya Air Station
, who operate Orion
surveillance aircraft. The Norwegian Space Centre
and Andøya Rocket Range
are also located at the airport.
Despite two long runways, the airport is part of the Short Take-Off and Landing
(STOL) network in Norway, being served by Widerøe
. Andøya Airport is owned and operated by Avinor
.
in 1951. In March 1952 the Norwegian Minister of Defence, Nils Langhelle
announced that the airport was going to be built. There were multiple suggested locations, and the decision fell on the village of Haugnes. The entire village with 310 residents was expropriated
to gain enough area for the airport.
The first aircraft landing took place on September 17, 1954. The air station was operational from the fall of 1957. After a while, civilian services were asked for, and on April 2, 1964 the first scheduled flight was flown by Scandinavian Airlines. In 1968, the second runway was finished. In the 1970s the airport became part of the new network of regional airports in Lofoten
and Vesterålen
with government subsidised operations with de Havilland
DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft seating 20 and operated by Widerøe
. From April 1, 2006 the public service obligation
was won by Coast Air
who operated services to Bodø
and Tromsø
. Coast Air announced that they would abandon the route from April 1, 2007. The contract to operate was awarded to Widerøe again.
Andenes
is a town and former municipality in Vesterålen district in Nordland county, Norway.Andenes was separated from Dverberg January 1, 1924. It was merged with Dverberg and Bjørnskinn to create the new municipality of Andøy January 1, 1964....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, in the municipality of Andøy
Andøy
Andøy is the northernmost municipality in Nordland county, Norway, and it belongs to the Vesterålen archipelago. The largest island in the municipality is Andøya. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Andenes....
. It is located right next to the town of Andenes (1 NM south, and covers major parts of the northern tip of island Andøya
Andøya
Andøya is the northernmost island in the archipelago of Vesterålen. Andøya is located in the Andøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway.The island has an area of 489 km², making it the tenth largest island in Norway. The island is connected to the neighboring island of Hinnøya using the...
. It is part of Andøya Air Station
Andøya Air Station
Andøya Air Station is situated in the north of Norway, in the municipality of Andøy. At Andøya, the 333 Squadron is based with P-3C Orions. The squadron is Norway's only surveillance squadron and stands as the airborne defence of northern Norway...
, who operate Orion
P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or...
surveillance aircraft. The Norwegian Space Centre
Norwegian Space Centre
The Norwegian Space Centre is a Norwegian government agency that promotes space exploration.-Norsk Romsenter :...
and Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
are also located at the airport.
Despite two long runways, the airport is part of the Short Take-Off and Landing
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
(STOL) network in Norway, being served by Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
. Andøya Airport is owned and operated by Avinor
Avinor
Avinor AS is a state owned limited company in that operates most of the civil airports in Norway. The Norwegian state, via the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications controls 100 percent of the share capital. Avinor was created on 1 January 2003, by the privatization of the...
.
History
The first idea of building a military airport was launched at a NATO meeting in LisbonLisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
in 1951. In March 1952 the Norwegian Minister of Defence, Nils Langhelle
Nils Langhelle
Nils Langhelle was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party and Minister of Labour 1945-1946, Norway's first Minister of Transport and Communications 1946-1951 and 1951–1952, Minister of Defense 1952-1954, Minister of Trade and Shipping 1954-1955 and President of the Storting from May 7, 1958...
announced that the airport was going to be built. There were multiple suggested locations, and the decision fell on the village of Haugnes. The entire village with 310 residents was expropriated
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
to gain enough area for the airport.
The first aircraft landing took place on September 17, 1954. The air station was operational from the fall of 1957. After a while, civilian services were asked for, and on April 2, 1964 the first scheduled flight was flown by Scandinavian Airlines. In 1968, the second runway was finished. In the 1970s the airport became part of the new network of regional airports in Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
and Vesterålen
Vesterålen
Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland, Norway, just north of Lofoten.-The name:The Norse forms of the name were Vestráll and Vestrálar . The first element is vestr n west, the last element is áll m ' sound, strait'...
with government subsidised operations with de Havilland
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft seating 20 and operated by Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
. From April 1, 2006 the public service obligation
PSO
PSO may refer to:In music:*Peoria Symphony Orchestra*Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra*Portland Symphony OrchestraIn science and technology:*Particle swarm optimization, a swarm intelligence optimization technique...
was won by Coast Air
Coast Air
Coast Air AS was a regional airline based at Haugesund Airport, Karmøy in Norway. It was Norway's fourth-largest airline and operated domestic services within Norway, in addition to international services. Routes were concentrated along the West Coast, as well as some public service obligation...
who operated services to Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
and Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
. Coast Air announced that they would abandon the route from April 1, 2007. The contract to operate was awarded to Widerøe again.
Airlines and destinations
Accidents and incidents
- On February 1, 1982 a Lockheed SR-71, tail number 980, diverted to the airport. It stayed there four days before being flown out.
- On July 31, 1988 4 people died when a private Cessna 172Cessna 172The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
aircraft crashed west of the airport just after take off.