Widerøe
Encyclopedia
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 (39-78 seats), serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations
. The largest regional airline in the Nordic countries
, Widerøe has a turnover of , 2 million annual passengers, 1,400 employees and makes 400 take-offs and landings each day. The public service obligation
services (PSO) with the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
on the regional airport network account for slightly less than half of Widerøe's operations. The remaining services consist of services on primary airports in Northern Norway, and services from Sandefjord Airport, Torp to other primary airports, and some international services from Oslo/Gardermoen, Sandefjord/Torp, Kristiansand/Kjevik, Stavanger/Sola, Bergen/Flesland and Trondheim/Værnes.
The company has its head offices in Bodø
, although it retains a large administration in Lysaker
. The main bases are Sandefjord Airport, Torp, Bodø Airport
, Tromsø Airport, Trondheim Airport, Værnes
, Bergen Airport, Flesland
and Oslo Airport, Gardermoen
. Widerøe's operations are focused on point-to-point transit
, although the airline essentially feeds medium-haul and international airlines at the bases. Widerøe retains interlining
agreements and participates in EuroBonus
for international flights.
The airline was founded in 1934, and started with air shows, aviation schools, advertisement flights, cartography and other general aviation. In 1936, Widerøe started scheduled sea plane flights and from 1940 also ambulance flights. During the 1940s and 1950s, the airline increased its sea plane routes, and established a main fleet of DHC-3 Otters
and Noorduyn Norseman
. From 1968, Widerøe started flying to the STOLport
s built in Northern and Western Norway using DHC-6 Twin Otters
, and later also with Dash 7
. In 1989, Widerøe bought Norsk Air
and started services from Sandefjord. During the 1990s, replaced all its aircraft with Dash 8; in the 2000s it was bought by the SAS Group and took over SAS Commuter
's operations in Northern Norway. In 2010, Widerøe will take over the regional SAS services in Western Norway.
.
Eight airports in Finnmark
and one in Troms
is connected to Tromsø Airport, with a limited number of services also connecting to two of the three primary airports in Finnmark—Alta
and Kirkenes
. Between Tromsø and Bodø, Widerøe serves six airports, of which two connect to Tromsø and all to Bodø. South of Bodø, there are six airports in Helgeland
and Namdalen
, which are all connected to Bodø and Trondheim Airport, Værnes. In Sogn og Fjordane
and Sunnmøre
, Widerøe connects four airports to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and Bergen Airport, Flesland.
Widerøe's main domestic hauling between primary airports is from its base at Sandefjord Airport, Torp. Services are provided up to five times per day to Trondheim, Stavanger and Bergen, as well as seasonal services to Bodø and Tromsø. In Northern Norway, Widerøe operates some services connecting primary airports, including the links from Tromsø to Alta, Hammerfest
, Kirkenes and Vadsø Airport
, and connecting Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
to Tromsø, Bodø and Trondheim.
International services are provided to from five Norwegian airports to seven foreign airports in Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom. From Sandefjord and Trondheim, Widerøe connects to Scandinavian Airline's hub
at Copenhagen Airport
. From Oslo, Widerøe operates four daily services to Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport
, as well as summer routes to Visby Airport
and Bornholm Airport. From Bergen and Stavanger, Widerøe serves Aberdeen Airport
, from Bergen it serves Edinburgh Airport
and from Stavanger Newcastle Airport
.
From 2010, Widerøe will take over the regional routes previously operated by SAS in Western Norway; these connect Kristiansand
and Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget
to Stavanger and Bergen, and Haugesund
and Molde
to Bergen. These routes will replace the SAS Fokker 50 aircraft with -300 and Q400 aircraft.
/Bombardier
Dash 8 aircraft. As of 2010, Widerøe operates eighteen of the 39-seat -100 series, seven of the 50-seat -300 series and six of the 78-seat Q400 series. It holds orders for another four Q400. In 2008, Widerøe was the world's third-largest operator of the -100-series, behind Piedmont Airlines
and Air Canada Jazz
.
frequent flyer program
. Earning of points is possible on all international routes, while redemption can be done on all international routes and all domestic routes not part of the public service obligation.
Complementary coffee, tea and water is offered on all flights with Dash 8-300 and Q400 aircraft, if the flight lasts for at least 40 minutes. A complementary meal or light snack is offered depending on the route and time of day. Flights before 09:30 have breakfast; after then there is a snack. All international flights have free newspapers. On flights to the United Kingdom, flexible ticket holders receive a better breakfast on flights before 09:30, and a meal and dessert after then. On routes with Dash 8-100 aircraft, snacks and cold drinks are for sale. Summer routes have free tea and coffee, with snacks and cold drinks for sale. Supplementary snacks, drinks and articles are available for sale on all flights.
Widerøe was established on the foundations of two small airlines. The first was the company Lotsberg & Skappel, which Helge Skappel
owned along with Leiv Brun, Ditlef Smith and Erik Engnæs, that operated a Gipsy Moth. The other was Widerøe & Bjørneby, which was founded by Viggo Widerøe
and Halvor Bjørneby, and operated a Simmonds Spartan
. A cooperation started between the two companies as well as Norsk Aero Klubb to establish air shows in Eastern Norway. During the winter, they stationed the planes at mountain resorts and made revenue from flying skiers into the wilderness. Advertisement flights were introduced, where a company or product name was painted on the hull, with a neon-light version underneath, and leaflets dropped from the planes.
Viggo Widerøe travelled to the United States with NOK 25,000 in 1933, and flew back a Waco Cabin. The same year, the company bought five used de Havilland DH.60 Moth
from the Air Force and started aviation schools both in Oslo and Bergen. On 19 February 1934, Widerøe's Flyveselskap A/S was founded by Viggo Widerøe, Einar Isdahl and Arild Widerøe. For the winter months, skis were equipped on the Cabin and Spartan. The company also started ambulance flights. In April, the company expanded their share capital from NOK 25,000 to NOK 65,000. The money was used to buy a sea version of a Cabin, and on 15 June started flying the post route from Oslo via Kristiansand
and Stavanger
to Haugesund
. During the summer, the company arranged a summer camp for youth, and the company bought a sail plane.
The company started a cooperation with four regional steam ship companies—Vesterålske, Nordenfjeldske, Stavangerske and Arendalske—and on 21 November they established the company Norske Kystflyveruter and applied for all concessions to fly postal services around the coast, as well as to Gothenburg
in Sweden. At the same time, Fred. Olsen & Co.
and Bergenske bought Det Norske Luftfartselskap
(DNL) and also applied for the routes. Widerøe wanted to use seaplanes, while DNL was going to use land planes. The government urged to companies to split the routes between them, but before the negotiations were completed, Cabinet Nygaardsvold
was appointed, and they granted DNL a ten-year concession on all domestic flights.
After losing all scheduled flights, Widerøe expanded to Northern Norway and started taxi flights. In 1935, the company also started in the cartography business. In Oslo, the company built a summer base for sea planes at Ingierstand, and a winter base for ski planes at Bogstadvannet
. Around Bergen, the airline would land at cruise ships and offer flights to tourists to see the fjords and mountains. In March 1936, 51% of the company was taken over by DNL as part of a private placement. This allowed DNL to transfer some of its concessions to Widerøe, who started flying Oslo – Lillehammer
/Tretten
– Golå
– Fefor – Tyinholmen
/Nystuen
, mainly aimed at tourists. For this route, a Bellanca Senior Pacemaker was bought. Widerøe also wet operated
DNL's route from Oslo to Gothenburg, the route Tromsø
to Honningsvåg
and Bergen – Vadheim
– Slidre
– Balestrand
. This routes in part used a Stinson Reliant
.
In 1937, the company make 44 flights along the coast of Antarctica, covering 4000 kilometres (2,485.5 mi) of coast at least 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) inland. These flights were ordered by Lars Christensen
for cartography. From July to September, the company also flew a route between Trondheim
and Bodø
. The base at Bogstad in Bergen was expanded, and the company was granted a monopoly on all aerial photography flights for the mapping authories. During 1938, the Bogstad workshop and Birger Hønningstad
started a cooperation where Widerøe built the Hønningstad Norge-planes. The same year, a plane went to Svalbard
for cartographic work, and a route was started from Trondheim via Brønnøysund
, Sandnessjøen
, Bodø, Narvik
and Harstad
to Tromsø. For three months, the route was expanded to Kirkenes
via Hammerfest
and Vadsø
.
Following the break-out of World War II
on 2 September 1939, all pilots became conscripted, and there was a ban on civilian aviation. DNL was worried about the steady losses the company was making, and suggested liquidating the company. On 5 December 1939, DNL's shares were transferred to the other shareholders. In 1940, the company started flying ambulance flights for the military. The planes were rented from the airline, while the crew were conscripted. Widerøe was also granted dispensation from the civil aviation ban to continue its school at Bogstad. Following the German invasion of Norway
, many pilots and aircraft of Widerøe were flown to Mjøsa were they served as part of the defence
. All planes were grounded during the occupation
, and German authorities demanded that magnetos and propellers be handed in. The workshop at Bogstad was kept busy with production of ambulance sleds for the German military. In secret, the company also started building a Hønningstad C-5 Polar ambulance plane at Bogstad. The German authorities sealed the company's archives, so only people with German permission had access to aerial photos.
at Oslo Airport, Fornebu
. The companies Piper Cubs were restored and the company bought a SAI KZ III
and a Fairchild Cornell for schduled service. A Hønninstad Norge B was completed and two Messerschmitt Taifun for aerial photography were taken over from Luftwaffe
. For taxi flights, the company bought three Fairchild Argus. The company received permission to fly from 2 February 1946. The same year, the company's mechanical division was moved from Bogstad to Fornebu. In 1947, Widerøe bought a Republic Seabee, but further purchases were not permitted by the authorities to keep down the outflow of currency. That year, Forenede Industrier bought the majority of the company. Viggo Widerøe was again hired as managing director. The Hønninstad C-5 Polar was completed, but serial production for the Air Force did not commence due to aid from Canada.
In 1948, the company was awarded concession for a route from Arendal
to Oslo. That year, the company merged with Narvik-based Polarfly, and changed its name to Widerøe's Flyveselskap & Polarfly A/S. The take-over included four Norseman
craft. This made it possible for the new company to station two planes at Skattøre in Tromsø. The following year, the company innovated with taking areas photographies of farms that were sold to the owners. In 1950, the Western Norway routes were reduced to Stavanger – Haugesund – Bergen for DNL. From November 1950 to February 1951, the company again participated on an Antarctic expedition. The same winter, the company started flight training for the Air Force using Fairchild Cornell-aircraft. The company also won a contract to maintain all the aircraft of that type for the Air Force.
In 1951, the company replaced its Avro Anson V
aerial photography plane with four Airspeed Oxford
from the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Starting 21 May 1951, the company started its first own scheduled service in Northern Norway, from Narvik via Svolvær
to Bodø. In 1952, the company established itself at Trondheim Airport, Lade with a Seabee taxi- and ambulance plane as well as school activity. In 1952, the Northern Norway-route was expanded to also serve Gravdal. The following year, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver was bought for use in Finnmark
. The company chose to differentiate, and started production of emergency rafts, refrigerated garages in aluminium and thermo elements for the industry. In 1954, the company received a subcontract from Scandinavian Airlines System
(SAS), the successor of DNL, to operate a see plane route from Tromsø via Alta, Hammerfest and Kirkenes to Vadsø. For this route, the company bought its first de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter. The company had that year 21 mechanics in Oslo and 14 in Tromsø, and signed a contract to service the Air Force' Norseman aircraft.
In 1956, the company took into use two Lockheed 12As for aerial photography. One of these was that year used in Liberia
and Syria
. The same year, the company took over SAS' last Junkers Ju-52 and put it into service on the sea route Bodø – Harstad – Tromsø, and thus Widerøe operated all of SAS' sea routes. The next year, SAS granted a loan so the number of Otters could be increased to four, replacing the Ju-52. From 1 July 1958, the company changed its name back to just Widerøe's Flyveselskap A/S. That year, both a Cessna 170 and a Cornell crashed, killing five people between them. The company also took over SAS' aviation school needs at Fornebu. For aerial photography in Svalbard, the company bought a Douglas RB-26C Invader
. To purchase the Air Force' last nine Norseman planes in 1959 for NOK the company cooperated with Solbergfly and bough five for NOK 125,000. This proved to ambitious, and two were sold to Aero Sahara. In 1960, the first land airports in Finnmark were opened, and SAS' demand for sea routes was reduced. Widerøe retired all Norseman planes from service, and were left with only Otters.
The contract to build a base for the military on Jan Mayen
was awarded to the company's mechanical division in 1959. It was prefabricated at Fosser and completed in 1960. In 1964, this division was made a subsidiary, Widerøe Industry A/S. Until 1963, Helikopter Service used Widerøe for mechanical services. In 1962, the company bought a Douglas DC-3
that was put into charter traffic. The plane was prone with technical difficulties, and was replaced by one bought from Braathens SAFE in September. The next charter plane was a Nord 260 Super Broussard that came in December. By 1965, the company had used four different DC-3s and bought three Nords. In 1963, new primary airports opened in Finnmark, and SAS extended their route to Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
. This forced all sea plane routes north of Tromsø to be terminated, and the company was left with routes between Bodø and Tromsø. The Trondheim base was closed 31 December 1963, following the decision to redevelop the area for industry and only use the airport at Værnes
.
Widerøe's management wanted to have larger aircraft for charter. It started a cooperation with Nordair
of Denmark, from which the airline borrowed a Douglas DC-6
with the livery Widerøe Nordair, and started flights from Oslo in 1964. It quickly proved unprofitable and was terminated. In 1964, a DC-3 parked at Fornebu with passengers burnt up, but no-one was killed. All charter operations were terminated in 1965, after the company had failed to find financing for larger aircraft. During the early 1960s, the company bought new photography planes from Cessna: a 320 and a 185
. In 1964, the Bodø–Narvik route was terminated and the following year the airline stated sea flights from Bodø to the islands of Røst
and Værøy
using a Norseman. The ambulance bases during the 1960s were Bodø, Narvik and Tromsø, although also Alta and Hammerfest had ambulance planes stationed in 1964.
New concessions for sea planes were granted in 1966, with the routes Tromsø–Hammerfest and Bodø – Mo i Rana – Sandnessjøen – Brønnøysund – Rørvik
– Namsos
– Hell
. Additional Otters were bought from the Royal Norwegian Air Force for these routes. This made it possible to sell all the Norsemans. New Cessna 411A, 206 and 337-planes were bought in 1968 to replace the older photography planes.
was appointed Minister of Transport. He rejected the previous government's proposal to build nine new primary airports, stating that with the contemporary funding it would take about 25 years to complete them. The last 12 years, NATO-funding had been used to build new air stations, and these had also been taken into civilian use. Kyllingmark felt that there were sufficient primary airports, but he still saw the need to build new airports for distant areas. He proposed a network of secondary airports between Bergen and Kirkenes, that would use short take-off and landing
(STOL)-aircraft to feed to the primary airports. Parliament passed his proposal, that included also building three of the intended nine primary airports.
The first four airports were located in Helgeland
between Bodø and Trondheim: Mo i Rana, Sandnessjøen, Brønnøysund and Namsos. Each airport had a 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) long and 30 metres (98.4 ft) wide runway, in addition to a small terminal building. Since Widerøe held the Helgeland sea concession, they were offered to operate the route with state and SAS subsidies. The routes would take into use de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter planes and would allow all-year connections to the primary airports in Trondheim and Trondheim
. The airline rented a hangar at Trondheim Airport, and all pilots needed to be re-certified to C- and instrument certificates. The first service was 1 July 1968. The following year, the company had NOK 1 million in state grants to the sea operations, and NOK 850,000 in SAS grants the Helgeland route.
Despite higher income than prognosed, Widerøe lost money on the trials. But they proved highly popular among the passengers, and in 1969 parliament voted to build new airports. The same year, SAS bought Forenede Industrier's shares in Widerøe, and Per Bergsland
replaced Viggo Widerøe as CEO. In 1970, the company was split in two: the aerial photography division was sold to the competitor Fjellanger, and the new company Fjellanger Widerøe was created. Scheduled services remained with Widerøe. The same year, the mechanical division at Fornebu was sold to Fred. Olsens Flyveselskap and a second Twin Otter was bought. In 1971, a 20% primary placement was issued and the company moved its head office to Bodø. At the end of the sea plane season, the ambulance stations in Bodø and Tromsø and the three remaining Otters were sold. Widerøe became a pure land-based, scheduled airline.
The company bought a 817 square metres (977.1 sq yd) hangar at Bodø Airport as its new mechanical base. The one Twin Otter was sold, but the company received a permanent concession for both the Helgeland Route as well as for the new airports on the West Coast: Florø, Førde, Sogndal and Ørsta/Volda that were connected to Bergen. The company also received permission to fly between Bergen, Ålesund, Kristiansund and Ørland. It also took over some of SAS flights between Bodø, Bardufoss, Andenes and Tromsø. A new mechanical base was built in Florø and had a 900 square metres (1,076.4 sq yd) hangar and six employees. The new routes started on 1 July 1971. Exactly one year later, the airports in Lofoten & Vesterålen were opened: Svolvær, Leknes, Stokmarknes and Andenes and connected to Bodø. Also the new primary airport at Molde
was opened on 5 April 1972. Five Twin Otters were in use in 1972, with additional two added in 1973.
The routes to Røst and Værøy were in 1972 converted to a helicopter route, that was flown by Helilift using two Sikorsky S-58Ts. In 1973, Widerøe received NOK 1.9 million in state subsidies for the helicopter route and NOK 13.6 million for the regional routes. That year, the company signed an option for two de Havilland Canad DHC-7 Dash 7
. In 1974, Widerøe tested from 1 May to 30 September a route from Sogndal to Oslo over the mountains. On 1 August, five airports were opened in Northern Troms and Finnmark: Sørkjosen, Hammerfest, Mehamn, Berlevåg and Vadsø, and connected to Tromsø, Alta, Lakselv and Kirkenes. This required that the company receive two new Twin Otters. A technical base was built at Hammerfest. Three more airports opened afterwards: Sandane on 1 July 1975, Narvik on 1 October 1975 and Honningsvåg on 1 July 1977. By 1978, the company had twelve Twin Otters.
In 1976, the Sikorsky helicopter was bought from Helilift, and the operation transferred to Offshore Helicopters. The plane crashed in 1977, and a new Sikorsky S-58T was bought in 1978. In 1980, Offshore Helicopters was bought by Helikopter Service, who took over operation. Starting on 1 January 1982, the Røst and Værøy routes were taken over using Bell 212-helicopters. Starting on 10 April 1980, Widerøe started an international service on behalf of SAS on the route from Trondheim to Östersund and Sundsvall in Sweden. Services terminated on 28 April 1982. The Sogndal–Oslo route was taken into permanent use in 1979, but only during the summer. A Twin Otter simulator was bought in 1981.
The first two Dash 7s were taken into use in March and May 1981, with a third delivered in April 1983. The pressure-cabin planes had a capacity of 50 passengers, and Widerøe for the first time took into use flight attendant
s. From September 1983, the Dash 7s were used on the all-year route Oslo–Sogndal–Florø. Following SAS' rearrangement of routes in Northern Norway in 1983, Widerøe was subcontracted the routes Tromsø–Lakselv, Bardufoss–Bodø, Tromsø–Evenes–Bodø, all to be flown with Dash 7, along with the routes to Hammerfest and Vadsø. This required a further two Dash 7s to be delivered.
The airline's last sea plane was decommissioned in 1971. In total the airline operated 12 Twin Otters and 8 Dash 7s at the beginning of the 1990s. In 1992 the airline made an agreement with the Norwegian government in which the airline replaced all of its Twin Otter and Dash 7 aircraft with de Havilland Canada Dash-8-100 aircraft, seating 37. As a result of the agreement, the STOL network in Norway would be a PSO operation from 1 April 1997. The airline won all the routes in 1997, but in 2000 the airline had to relinquish the route Bodø-Røst
to Guard Air, but regained it after Guard Air folded. In 2003 the route was surrendered to Kato Air. Since then the airline has lost the routes to Andenes
, Fagernes
, Florø and Røros
, though it in 2006 has recaptured the routes to Narvik
and in 2007 the routes to Andenes
.
, an airline based at Sandefjord Airport, Torp, for free from the shipping company Kosmos. The airline operated four Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
aircraft, and flew from Sandefjord to Copenhagen, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim as well as from Skien Airport, Geiteryggen
to Bergen and Stavanger. In 1991 the airline changed its name to Widerøe Norsk Air, before it was amalgamated into Widerøe in 1996, the same year as the Brasilias were replaced with 50 seat Dash-8-300. Widerøe Norsk Air also operated the Brasilias between 1991 and 1993 on a route between Sandefjord / Torp - Kristiansand / Kjevik and London Gatwick Airport, but it was closed partially due to an over establishment on flights from Norway to. Today the airline operations from Sandefjord are its most profitable.
Fred. Olsen & Co.
decided to buy part of Widerøe again in the late 1960s, and in 1970 Braathens SAFE
bought 18% of the company. In 1991 Braathens SAFE and SAS sold to Fred. Olsen, who owned 64% of the company. The other owners at that time were Torghatten Trafikkselskap
, Nordlandsbanken
and Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane. In 1997 Fred. Olsen sold 29% of its stock to SAS Group
, who later bought the rest of the company.
Following the deregulation of the Norwegian airline market in 1994, Widerøe launched new international routes, which included flights from Bergen and Stavanger to Aberdeen
, Edinburgh
and Newcastle
in the UK
, as well as from Trondheim to Copenhagen
and Stockholm
. For some of these operations, Widerøe acquired 76-seat Dash-8-Q400 aircraft. After Scandinavian Airlines bought Braathens in 2002, the group decided to operate Braathens' regional routes in Western Norway with the SAS Commuters Fokker 50 aircraft operating in Northern Norway. The routes in Western Norway were until then operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle
, who then became a low-cost carrier
. SAS Commuter left its operations in Northern Norway to Widerøe, who operate all the SAS Group's regional routes
north of Trondheim. This involved that Widerøe took over the routes from Tromsø to Alta, Lakselv and Kirkenes, and the route from Evenes to Tromsø, Bodø and Trondheim from October 2002.
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
in 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...
and part of the SAS Group
SAS Group
Scandinavian Airlines System Aktiebolag , trading as SAS Group and SAS AB, is a holding company based in Solna, Sweden. It is the parent company of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines, Blue1 and Widerøe, and the aviation services companies SAS Business Opportunities, SAS Cargo Group, SAS Ground...
. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft (39-78 seats), serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations
Widerøe destinations
Widerøe is Norway's third largest airline, and the largest regional airline. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. As part of the SAS Group, it supplements the main-haul routes of Scandinavian Airlines. Widerøe has several feeder routes in Northern Norway, international routes from...
. The largest regional airline in the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
, Widerøe has a turnover of , 2 million annual passengers, 1,400 employees and makes 400 take-offs and landings each day. The public service obligation
Public Service Obligation
In transport, public service obligation or PSO is an arrangement in which a governing body or other authority offers an auction for subsidies, permit the winning company a monopoly to operate a specified service of public transport for a specified period of time for the given subsidy...
services (PSO) with the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Transportation and Communications is a Norwegian ministry established in 1946, and is responsible for transportation and communication infrastructure in Norway. It is led by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa...
on the regional airport network account for slightly less than half of Widerøe's operations. The remaining services consist of services on primary airports in Northern Norway, and services from Sandefjord Airport, Torp to other primary airports, and some international services from Oslo/Gardermoen, Sandefjord/Torp, Kristiansand/Kjevik, Stavanger/Sola, Bergen/Flesland and Trondheim/Værnes.
The company has its head offices in 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...
, although it retains a large administration in Lysaker
Lysaker
Lysaker is a section of and a postal code area of the Norwegian municipality of Bærum, just west of Oslo.Geographically, it is bordered by Lysakerelven on the east, which also forms the border to Oslo; Fornebu to the south; Stabekk to the west; and Jar to the north...
. The main bases are Sandefjord Airport, Torp, Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport is civil airport in Bodø, Norway. Located just south of the city centre, on the westernmost tip of the peninsula Bodø lies on, it shares facilities with the military air force base Bodø Main Air Station. The airport has a single concrete, runway which runs in a roughly east-west...
, Tromsø Airport, Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes is an international airport located in Stjørdal, east of Trondheim, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2010, the airport had 3,521,734 passengers and 55,747 air movements,...
, Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport, Flesland is an international airport located southwest of Bergen, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the second-busiest airport in Norway, with 5,296,325 passengers in 2010. Flesland is operated by the state-owned Avinor...
and Oslo Airport, Gardermoen
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen is the principal airport serving Oslo, Norway. It acts as the main domestic hub and international airport for Norway, and the second-busiest airport in the Nordic countries. A hub for Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle, and a focus city for Widerøe, it is...
. Widerøe's operations are focused on point-to-point transit
Point-to-point transit
Point-to-point transit refers to a transportation system where a plane, bus or train travels directly to a destination, rather than going through a central hub...
, although the airline essentially feeds medium-haul and international airlines at the bases. Widerøe retains interlining
Interlining
Interlining is a voluntary commercial agreement between individual airlines to handle passengers traveling on itineraries that require multiple airlines.-Agreements:...
agreements and participates in EuroBonus
EuroBonus
EuroBonus is the frequent flyer program of four European airlines of SAS Group. It was launched by Scandinavian Airlines System in 1992.-SAS Group - EuroBonus:* Blue1 * Scandinavian Airlines System * Widerøe...
for international flights.
The airline was founded in 1934, and started with air shows, aviation schools, advertisement flights, cartography and other general aviation. In 1936, Widerøe started scheduled sea plane flights and from 1940 also ambulance flights. During the 1940s and 1950s, the airline increased its sea plane routes, and established a main fleet of DHC-3 Otters
De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, but was overall a larger aircraft.-Design and...
and Noorduyn Norseman
Noorduyn Norseman
The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.-Design and...
. From 1968, Widerøe started flying to the STOLport
STOLport
A STOLport or STOLPORT is an airport designed with STOL operations in mind, normally having a short single runway; shorter than . The term does not appear to be in common usage as of 2008...
s built in Northern and Western Norway using DHC-6 Twin Otters
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
, and later also with Dash 7
De Havilland Canada Dash 7
The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with STOL capabilities. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, de Havilland Canada, was purchased by Boeing and was later sold to Bombardier...
. In 1989, Widerøe bought Norsk Air
Norsk Air
Widerøe Norsk Air AS, formerly known as Vestfoldfly, Norsk Flytjeneste AS and Norsk Air AS, was a Norwegian airline based at Sandefjord Airport, Torp...
and started services from Sandefjord. During the 1990s, replaced all its aircraft with Dash 8; in the 2000s it was bought by the SAS Group and took over SAS Commuter
SAS Commuter
SAS Commuter, later branded Scandinavian Commuter was a regional airline created by Scandinavian Airlines parent companies Det Norske Luftfartsselskap, Det Danske Luftfartsselskap og Aerotransport on December 1, 1988. It was merged with the new airlines Scandinavian Airlines Denmark, Scandinavian...
's operations in Northern Norway. In 2010, Widerøe will take over the regional SAS services in Western Norway.
Destinations
Widerøe holds most of the public service obligation contracts with the Ministry of Transport and Communications to connect regional airports to primary airports. Twenty-five such airports are served in the contract from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012, with the company having lost the bid for services to three. The services are operated to connect smaller communities and towns to regional centers and to primary airports which provide onwards service with jet aircraftJet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
.
Eight airports in Finnmark
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
and one in Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
is connected to Tromsø Airport, with a limited number of services also connecting to two of the three primary airports in Finnmark—Alta
Alta Airport
Alta Airport is the airport of Alta, Norway. It is located about northeast of the town center of Alta, near the community Elvebakken on the southern shore of the Altafjord. The airport has a single paved runway. The government-owned Avinor is responsible for operations...
and Kirkenes
Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen is the airport serving Kirkenes in eastern Finnmark, Norway. Høybuktmoen is located west of Kirkenes, at the base of a peninsula jutting into Varangerfjord...
. Between Tromsø and Bodø, Widerøe serves six airports, of which two connect to Tromsø and all to Bodø. South of Bodø, there are six airports in Helgeland
Helgeland
Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. The district covers an area of about , with nearly 79,000 inhabitants...
and Namdalen
Namdalen
Namdalen is a traditional district in the central part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities Namsos, Grong, Overhalla, Røyrvik, Fosnes, Nærøy, Høylandet, Namdalseid, Flatanger, Lierne, Leka, Namsskogan, and Vikna, all in Nord-Trøndelag county. The district has two towns: Kolvereid and Namsos...
, which are all connected to Bodø and Trondheim Airport, Værnes. In Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
and Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal, Sande, Skodje, Haram, Stordal, Stranda, Sula, Sykkylven, Ulstein, Vanylven, Volda, Ørskog,...
, Widerøe connects four airports to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and Bergen Airport, Flesland.
Widerøe's main domestic hauling between primary airports is from its base at Sandefjord Airport, Torp. Services are provided up to five times per day to Trondheim, Stavanger and Bergen, as well as seasonal services to Bodø and Tromsø. In Northern Norway, Widerøe operates some services connecting primary airports, including the links from Tromsø to Alta, Hammerfest
Hammerfest Airport
Hammerfest Airport is an airport serving the town of Hammerfest in Finnmark, Norway. The airport is located north of the town centre. The airport was opened on 30 July 1974 as part of a series of regional airports in northern Norway. It is operated by Avinor. In 2007, the airport served 148,541...
, Kirkenes and Vadsø Airport
Vadsø Airport
Vadsø Airport is a small regional airport, opened in 1974, which serves the municipality of Vadsø in the county of Finnmark, Norway. The airport lies 2 nautical miles east of the main population centre. The airport has a single 877 m long runway and it has been considered extending this to...
, and connecting Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes is located in the Evenes municipality, in Nordland county in northern Norway. Some of the runway lighting at the north end of the runway crosses the county border into the Skånland municipality in Troms...
to Tromsø, Bodø and Trondheim.
International services are provided to from five Norwegian airports to seven foreign airports in Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom. From Sandefjord and Trondheim, Widerøe connects to Scandinavian Airline's hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
at Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
. From Oslo, Widerøe operates four daily services to Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport
Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport
Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport is an international airport serving the Gothenburg region in Sweden. With 4.3 million passengers in 2006 it is Sweden's second-largest airport...
, as well as summer routes to Visby Airport
Visby Airport
Visby Airport , is located about 3.5 km north of Visby, Gotland, Sweden.Visby airport is Gotland's only commercial airport and the 12th largest airport in Sweden. The airport had about 305,000 passengers in 2009. The traffic has a large seasonal variation with many more passengers in the...
and Bornholm Airport. From Bergen and Stavanger, Widerøe serves Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
, from Bergen it serves Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
and from Stavanger Newcastle Airport
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....
.
From 2010, Widerøe will take over the regional routes previously operated by SAS in Western Norway; these connect Kristiansand
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik is situated northeast of the city Kristiansand, Vest-Agder in southern Norway, located from the city centre. The airport serves the Agder district with domestic and international flights. In 2008 the airport had 915,092 passengers. The airport is operated by Avinor...
and Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget
Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget
Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget is a small size international airport located next to the small mountain Kvernberget, east southeast or from the town center of Kristiansund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway, opened in 1970 and caters to the county's northern district, Nordmøre. The airport...
to Stavanger and Bergen, and Haugesund
Haugesund Airport, Karmøy
Haugesund Airport, Karmøy is the airport serving the city of Haugesund in Norway. It is located on the west side of the island and municipality of Karmøy, southwest of Haugesund. The airport was opened in 1975 and is operated by Avinor....
and Molde
Molde Airport, Årø
Molde Airport, Årø is located in the city of Molde in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It serves Molde and the surrounding district of Romsdal. The airport sits about east of the city. After opening in 1972, services have been mainly to Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim...
to Bergen. These routes will replace the SAS Fokker 50 aircraft with -300 and Q400 aircraft.
Fleet
Since 2000, the airline has operated a fleet consisting entirely of de Havilland CanadaDe Havilland Canada
The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
/Bombardier
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
Dash 8 aircraft. As of 2010, Widerøe operates eighteen of the 39-seat -100 series, seven of the 50-seat -300 series and six of the 78-seat Q400 series. It holds orders for another four Q400. In 2008, Widerøe was the world's third-largest operator of the -100-series, behind Piedmont Airlines
Piedmont Airlines
Piedmont Airlines is an American regional airline operating for US Airways Express. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the US Airways Group, headquartered in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury, it conducts flight operations using De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft...
and Air Canada Jazz
Air Canada Jazz
Jazz Aviation LP is a Canadian regional airline based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Enfield and Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation....
.
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Dash 8-100 | 20 | 0 | 39 | Domestic |
| Bombardier Dash 8-300 | 7 | 0 | 50 | Domestic, international |
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 NextGen | 7 | 2 | 78 | Domestic, international |
Service
As part of the SAS Group, Widerøe participates in the EuroBonusEuroBonus
EuroBonus is the frequent flyer program of four European airlines of SAS Group. It was launched by Scandinavian Airlines System in 1992.-SAS Group - EuroBonus:* Blue1 * Scandinavian Airlines System * Widerøe...
frequent flyer program
Frequent flyer program
A frequent flyer program is a loyalty program offered by many airlines. Typically, airline customers enrolled in the program accumulate frequent flyer miles corresponding to the distance flown on that airline or its partners. There are other ways to accumulate miles...
. Earning of points is possible on all international routes, while redemption can be done on all international routes and all domestic routes not part of the public service obligation.
Complementary coffee, tea and water is offered on all flights with Dash 8-300 and Q400 aircraft, if the flight lasts for at least 40 minutes. A complementary meal or light snack is offered depending on the route and time of day. Flights before 09:30 have breakfast; after then there is a snack. All international flights have free newspapers. On flights to the United Kingdom, flexible ticket holders receive a better breakfast on flights before 09:30, and a meal and dessert after then. On routes with Dash 8-100 aircraft, snacks and cold drinks are for sale. Summer routes have free tea and coffee, with snacks and cold drinks for sale. Supplementary snacks, drinks and articles are available for sale on all flights.
Establishment
Helge Skappel
Helge Sommerfelt Skappel was a Norwegian aviator, photographer and cartographer. He was among the early aviation company owners in Norway, and later became known as a photographer in Widerøe from 1934 to 1975, except for four years during World War II when he was imprisoned in concentration camps...
owned along with Leiv Brun, Ditlef Smith and Erik Engnæs, that operated a Gipsy Moth. The other was Widerøe & Bjørneby, which was founded by Viggo Widerøe
Viggo Widerøe
Viggo Widerøe was a Norwegian aviator and entrepreneur. He founded Widerøe's Flyveselskap, Norway's third largest airline, in 1934. The airline is still in operation today.-Personal life:...
and Halvor Bjørneby, and operated a Simmonds Spartan
Simmonds Spartan
|-See also:-External links:*...
. A cooperation started between the two companies as well as Norsk Aero Klubb to establish air shows in Eastern Norway. During the winter, they stationed the planes at mountain resorts and made revenue from flying skiers into the wilderness. Advertisement flights were introduced, where a company or product name was painted on the hull, with a neon-light version underneath, and leaflets dropped from the planes.
Viggo Widerøe travelled to the United States with NOK 25,000 in 1933, and flew back a Waco Cabin. The same year, the company bought five used de Havilland DH.60 Moth
De Havilland DH.60 Moth
The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...
from the Air Force and started aviation schools both in Oslo and Bergen. On 19 February 1934, Widerøe's Flyveselskap A/S was founded by Viggo Widerøe, Einar Isdahl and Arild Widerøe. For the winter months, skis were equipped on the Cabin and Spartan. The company also started ambulance flights. In April, the company expanded their share capital from NOK 25,000 to NOK 65,000. The money was used to buy a sea version of a Cabin, and on 15 June started flying the post route from Oslo via Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
and Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
to Haugesund
Haugesund
is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...
. During the summer, the company arranged a summer camp for youth, and the company bought a sail plane.
The company started a cooperation with four regional steam ship companies—Vesterålske, Nordenfjeldske, Stavangerske and Arendalske—and on 21 November they established the company Norske Kystflyveruter and applied for all concessions to fly postal services around the coast, as well as to Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
in Sweden. At the same time, Fred. Olsen & Co.
Fred. Olsen & Co.
Fred. Olsen & Co. is a large shipping company based in Oslo, Norway. The company was founded by Petter Olsen in 1848. Today it is the holding company that controls the Olsen family's interest through Bonheur and Ganger Rolf.-History:...
and Bergenske bought Det Norske Luftfartselskap
Det Norske Luftfartselskap
Det Norske Luftfartselskap A/S or DNL, trading internationally as Norwegian Air Lines, was an airline and flag carrier of Norway. Founded in 1927, it operated domestic and international routes from 1935 to 1941 and from 1946 to 1951...
(DNL) and also applied for the routes. Widerøe wanted to use seaplanes, while DNL was going to use land planes. The government urged to companies to split the routes between them, but before the negotiations were completed, Cabinet Nygaardsvold
Cabinet Nygaardsvold
Nygaardsvold's Cabinet was appointed on 20 March 1935, the second Labour cabinet in Norway. It closed the brought to an end the non-socialist, minority Governments that had been dominating politics since the introduction of the parliamentary system in 1884, and replaced it with stable, Labour...
was appointed, and they granted DNL a ten-year concession on all domestic flights.
After losing all scheduled flights, Widerøe expanded to Northern Norway and started taxi flights. In 1935, the company also started in the cartography business. In Oslo, the company built a summer base for sea planes at Ingierstand, and a winter base for ski planes at Bogstadvannet
Bogstadvannet
Bogstadvannet is a lake between the city of Oslo and the municipality of Bærum, Akershus, Norway. It is part of Sørkedalsvassdraget, which in turn is part of Oslomarkvassdraget....
. Around Bergen, the airline would land at cruise ships and offer flights to tourists to see the fjords and mountains. In March 1936, 51% of the company was taken over by DNL as part of a private placement. This allowed DNL to transfer some of its concessions to Widerøe, who started flying Oslo – Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
/Tretten
Tretten
Tretten is a parish and a small village in the northern part of the Øyer municipality, Norway.Its population is 880. Tretten is located on the Losna lake, which is part of the Gudbrandsdalslågen river. The village had its own sports team Tretten IL until 1990, when a merger created Øyer-Tretten...
– Golå
Gola
Gola may refer to:Groups and tribes:*Gola , in Balochistan, Pakistan*Gola people, a tribal people and language in Liberia*Gola , native to south-east Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Western Uttar Pradesh regions of IndiaPlace names:...
– Fefor – Tyinholmen
Tyinholmen
Tyinholmen is an area on the north of the mountain lake Tyin in Jotunheimen in Vang, Oppland, Norway. At the place is a resort that has been in operation since 1892....
/Nystuen
Nystuen
Nystuen is a village in Filefjell in Vang, Oppland, Norway. It is the site of an old state guest house and located near Otrøvatnet. From 1936, Widerøe flew tourists with sea planes to the lake....
, mainly aimed at tourists. For this route, a Bellanca Senior Pacemaker was bought. Widerøe also wet operated
Wet lease
Aircraft leases are a number of types of leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons; to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide temporary increase in capacity...
DNL's route from Oslo to Gothenburg, the route 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...
to Honningsvåg
Honningsvåg
at 70° 58' N, in Nordkapp municipality, claims to be the northernmost city in Norway and even in the world, although the title is disputed by Hammerfest, Norway; Barrow, Alaska; and Longyearbyen, Svalbard...
and Bergen – Vadheim
Vadheim
Vadheim is a village in the municipality of Høyanger in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located on the north shore of the Sognefjord, along the highway . It is about northeast of the village of Lavik, northwest of Kyrkjebø, and northwest of Austreim...
– Slidre
Slidre
Slidre is the administrative centre of Vestre Slidre municipality, Norway. It is located by the Slidrefjord. Its population is 293.Slidre was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . It was divided into Vestre Slidre and Øystre Slidre in 1849....
– Balestrand
Balestrand
Balestrand is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand....
. This routes in part used a Stinson Reliant
Stinson Reliant
The Stinson Reliant was a popular single-engine four to five seat high-wing monoplane manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Wayne, Michigan.-Design and development:...
.
In 1937, the company make 44 flights along the coast of Antarctica, covering 4000 kilometres (2,485.5 mi) of coast at least 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) inland. These flights were ordered by Lars Christensen
Lars Christensen
Lars Christensen was a Norwegian shipowner and whaling magnate with a keen interest in the exploration of Antarctica.-Career:...
for cartography. From July to September, the company also flew a route between Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
and 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...
. The base at Bogstad in Bergen was expanded, and the company was granted a monopoly on all aerial photography flights for the mapping authories. During 1938, the Bogstad workshop and Birger Hønningstad
Birger Hønningstad
Birger Hønningstad was a Norwegian engineer and aircraft designer....
started a cooperation where Widerøe built the Hønningstad Norge-planes. The same year, a plane went to Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
for cartographic work, and a route was started from Trondheim via Brønnøysund
Brønnøysund
is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Brønnøy, Norway. It is also a former municipality in Nordland county. The village of Brønnøysund received town status in 2000. The city lies along the coast and is often called "the coastal town in the middle of Norway." Brønnøysund...
, Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen is the centre of the municipality of Alstahaug in the county of Nordland, Norway, with a population of over 9,000. It was made a township in 1788....
, Bodø, Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
and Harstad
Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
to Tromsø. For three months, the route was expanded to Kirkenes
Kirkenes
is a town in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the county of Finnmark in the far northeast of Norway...
via Hammerfest
Hammerfest
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The municipality encompasses parts of three islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Hammerfest was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
and Vadsø
Vadsø
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality and the county of Finnmark....
.
Following the break-out of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on 2 September 1939, all pilots became conscripted, and there was a ban on civilian aviation. DNL was worried about the steady losses the company was making, and suggested liquidating the company. On 5 December 1939, DNL's shares were transferred to the other shareholders. In 1940, the company started flying ambulance flights for the military. The planes were rented from the airline, while the crew were conscripted. Widerøe was also granted dispensation from the civil aviation ban to continue its school at Bogstad. Following the German invasion of Norway
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
, many pilots and aircraft of Widerøe were flown to Mjøsa were they served as part of the defence
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
. All planes were grounded during the occupation
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
, and German authorities demanded that magnetos and propellers be handed in. The workshop at Bogstad was kept busy with production of ambulance sleds for the German military. In secret, the company also started building a Hønningstad C-5 Polar ambulance plane at Bogstad. The German authorities sealed the company's archives, so only people with German permission had access to aerial photos.
Mixed operations
After the liberation of Norway in 1945, there was still a flight ban, and the employees at Bogstad were hired by the Royal Norwegian Air ForceRoyal Norwegian Air Force
The Royal Norwegian Air Force is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peace force is approximately 1,430 employees . 600 personnel also serve their draft period in the RNoAF...
at Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu was the main airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one...
. The companies Piper Cubs were restored and the company bought a SAI KZ III
SAI KZ III
-See also:-External links:*...
and a Fairchild Cornell for schduled service. A Hønninstad Norge B was completed and two Messerschmitt Taifun for aerial photography were taken over from Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. For taxi flights, the company bought three Fairchild Argus. The company received permission to fly from 2 February 1946. The same year, the company's mechanical division was moved from Bogstad to Fornebu. In 1947, Widerøe bought a Republic Seabee, but further purchases were not permitted by the authorities to keep down the outflow of currency. That year, Forenede Industrier bought the majority of the company. Viggo Widerøe was again hired as managing director. The Hønninstad C-5 Polar was completed, but serial production for the Air Force did not commence due to aid from Canada.
In 1948, the company was awarded concession for a route from Arendal
Arendal
is a town and municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. Arendal belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet.The town of Arendal is the administrative center the municipality and also of Aust-Agder county...
to Oslo. That year, the company merged with Narvik-based Polarfly, and changed its name to Widerøe's Flyveselskap & Polarfly A/S. The take-over included four Norseman
Noorduyn Norseman
The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.-Design and...
craft. This made it possible for the new company to station two planes at Skattøre in Tromsø. The following year, the company innovated with taking areas photographies of farms that were sold to the owners. In 1950, the Western Norway routes were reduced to Stavanger – Haugesund – Bergen for DNL. From November 1950 to February 1951, the company again participated on an Antarctic expedition. The same winter, the company started flight training for the Air Force using Fairchild Cornell-aircraft. The company also won a contract to maintain all the aircraft of that type for the Air Force.
In 1951, the company replaced its Avro Anson V
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
aerial photography plane with four Airspeed Oxford
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...
from the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Starting 21 May 1951, the company started its first own scheduled service in Northern Norway, from Narvik via Svolvær
Svolvær
-Communications:Parts of the town is built on small islands connected by bridges. There is a regional airport near the town, Svolvær Airport, Helle, and Svolvær is a port of call for Hurtigruten. There is a ferry connection Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy, and express boat connections to Bodø...
to Bodø. In 1952, the company established itself at Trondheim Airport, Lade with a Seabee taxi- and ambulance plane as well as school activity. In 1952, the Northern Norway-route was expanded to also serve Gravdal. The following year, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver was bought for use in Finnmark
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
. The company chose to differentiate, and started production of emergency rafts, refrigerated garages in aluminium and thermo elements for the industry. In 1954, the company received a subcontract from Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the largest airline in Scandinavia....
(SAS), the successor of DNL, to operate a see plane route from Tromsø via Alta, Hammerfest and Kirkenes to Vadsø. For this route, the company bought its first de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter. The company had that year 21 mechanics in Oslo and 14 in Tromsø, and signed a contract to service the Air Force' Norseman aircraft.
In 1956, the company took into use two Lockheed 12As for aerial photography. One of these was that year used in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. The same year, the company took over SAS' last Junkers Ju-52 and put it into service on the sea route Bodø – Harstad – Tromsø, and thus Widerøe operated all of SAS' sea routes. The next year, SAS granted a loan so the number of Otters could be increased to four, replacing the Ju-52. From 1 July 1958, the company changed its name back to just Widerøe's Flyveselskap A/S. That year, both a Cessna 170 and a Cornell crashed, killing five people between them. The company also took over SAS' aviation school needs at Fornebu. For aerial photography in Svalbard, the company bought a Douglas RB-26C Invader
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
. To purchase the Air Force' last nine Norseman planes in 1959 for NOK the company cooperated with Solbergfly and bough five for NOK 125,000. This proved to ambitious, and two were sold to Aero Sahara. In 1960, the first land airports in Finnmark were opened, and SAS' demand for sea routes was reduced. Widerøe retired all Norseman planes from service, and were left with only Otters.
The contract to build a base for the military on Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
was awarded to the company's mechanical division in 1959. It was prefabricated at Fosser and completed in 1960. In 1964, this division was made a subsidiary, Widerøe Industry A/S. Until 1963, Helikopter Service used Widerøe for mechanical services. In 1962, the company bought a Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
that was put into charter traffic. The plane was prone with technical difficulties, and was replaced by one bought from Braathens SAFE in September. The next charter plane was a Nord 260 Super Broussard that came in December. By 1965, the company had used four different DC-3s and bought three Nords. In 1963, new primary airports opened in Finnmark, and SAS extended their route to Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen is the airport serving Kirkenes in eastern Finnmark, Norway. Høybuktmoen is located west of Kirkenes, at the base of a peninsula jutting into Varangerfjord...
. This forced all sea plane routes north of Tromsø to be terminated, and the company was left with routes between Bodø and Tromsø. The Trondheim base was closed 31 December 1963, following the decision to redevelop the area for industry and only use the airport at Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes is an international airport located in Stjørdal, east of Trondheim, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2010, the airport had 3,521,734 passengers and 55,747 air movements,...
.
Widerøe's management wanted to have larger aircraft for charter. It started a cooperation with Nordair
Nordair
Nordair is a defunct Quebec-based regional airline founded in 1947 from the merger of Boreal Airways and Mont Laurier Aviation. The airline operated from the 1950s to the 1980s. Most of its business was international and transatlantic passenger and freight charters and other contracts. It also...
of Denmark, from which the airline borrowed a Douglas DC-6
Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
with the livery Widerøe Nordair, and started flights from Oslo in 1964. It quickly proved unprofitable and was terminated. In 1964, a DC-3 parked at Fornebu with passengers burnt up, but no-one was killed. All charter operations were terminated in 1965, after the company had failed to find financing for larger aircraft. During the early 1960s, the company bought new photography planes from Cessna: a 320 and a 185
Cessna 185
-Specification for differing configurations:-References:* Jan Churchill, Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia, Sunflower University Press, Manhattan KS, ISBN 0-89745-215-1...
. In 1964, the Bodø–Narvik route was terminated and the following year the airline stated sea flights from Bodø to the islands of Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
and Værøy
Værøy
Værøy is an island and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørland. Værøy was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
using a Norseman. The ambulance bases during the 1960s were Bodø, Narvik and Tromsø, although also Alta and Hammerfest had ambulance planes stationed in 1964.
New concessions for sea planes were granted in 1966, with the routes Tromsø–Hammerfest and Bodø – Mo i Rana – Sandnessjøen – Brønnøysund – Rørvik
Rørvik
Rørvik is a port village in the municipality of Vikna in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The village also serves as the administrative centre of the municipality. It is on the eastern side of the Vikna archipelago on the island of Inner-Vikna. The village has a population of 2,721. The...
– Namsos
Namsos
is a town and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Namsos. Other villages in the municipality include Bangsund, Klinga, Ramsvika, Skomsvoll, and Spillum....
– Hell
Hell, Norway
Hell is a village in the Lånke area of the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the western part of the municipality, about south of the municipal center of Stjørdalshalsen. The village has a population of 1,418...
. Additional Otters were bought from the Royal Norwegian Air Force for these routes. This made it possible to sell all the Norsemans. New Cessna 411A, 206 and 337-planes were bought in 1968 to replace the older photography planes.
Regional aviation
In 1965 Håkon Kyllingmark from the Conservative PartyConservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
was appointed Minister of Transport. He rejected the previous government's proposal to build nine new primary airports, stating that with the contemporary funding it would take about 25 years to complete them. The last 12 years, NATO-funding had been used to build new air stations, and these had also been taken into civilian use. Kyllingmark felt that there were sufficient primary airports, but he still saw the need to build new airports for distant areas. He proposed a network of secondary airports between Bergen and Kirkenes, that would use 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)-aircraft to feed to the primary airports. Parliament passed his proposal, that included also building three of the intended nine primary airports.
The first four airports were located in Helgeland
Helgeland
Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. The district covers an area of about , with nearly 79,000 inhabitants...
between Bodø and Trondheim: Mo i Rana, Sandnessjøen, Brønnøysund and Namsos. Each airport had a 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) long and 30 metres (98.4 ft) wide runway, in addition to a small terminal building. Since Widerøe held the Helgeland sea concession, they were offered to operate the route with state and SAS subsidies. The routes would take into use de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter planes and would allow all-year connections to the primary airports in Trondheim and Trondheim
Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport is civil airport in Bodø, Norway. Located just south of the city centre, on the westernmost tip of the peninsula Bodø lies on, it shares facilities with the military air force base Bodø Main Air Station. The airport has a single concrete, runway which runs in a roughly east-west...
. The airline rented a hangar at Trondheim Airport, and all pilots needed to be re-certified to C- and instrument certificates. The first service was 1 July 1968. The following year, the company had NOK 1 million in state grants to the sea operations, and NOK 850,000 in SAS grants the Helgeland route.
Despite higher income than prognosed, Widerøe lost money on the trials. But they proved highly popular among the passengers, and in 1969 parliament voted to build new airports. The same year, SAS bought Forenede Industrier's shares in Widerøe, and Per Bergsland
Per Bergsland
Sgt Per Bergsland was a Norwegian POW in the German POW camp Stalag Luft III and one of only three men to escape to freedom in the "Great Escape".-Sports career:...
replaced Viggo Widerøe as CEO. In 1970, the company was split in two: the aerial photography division was sold to the competitor Fjellanger, and the new company Fjellanger Widerøe was created. Scheduled services remained with Widerøe. The same year, the mechanical division at Fornebu was sold to Fred. Olsens Flyveselskap and a second Twin Otter was bought. In 1971, a 20% primary placement was issued and the company moved its head office to Bodø. At the end of the sea plane season, the ambulance stations in Bodø and Tromsø and the three remaining Otters were sold. Widerøe became a pure land-based, scheduled airline.
The company bought a 817 square metres (977.1 sq yd) hangar at Bodø Airport as its new mechanical base. The one Twin Otter was sold, but the company received a permanent concession for both the Helgeland Route as well as for the new airports on the West Coast: Florø, Førde, Sogndal and Ørsta/Volda that were connected to Bergen. The company also received permission to fly between Bergen, Ålesund, Kristiansund and Ørland. It also took over some of SAS flights between Bodø, Bardufoss, Andenes and Tromsø. A new mechanical base was built in Florø and had a 900 square metres (1,076.4 sq yd) hangar and six employees. The new routes started on 1 July 1971. Exactly one year later, the airports in Lofoten & Vesterålen were opened: Svolvær, Leknes, Stokmarknes and Andenes and connected to Bodø. Also the new primary airport at Molde
Molde Airport, Årø
Molde Airport, Årø is located in the city of Molde in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It serves Molde and the surrounding district of Romsdal. The airport sits about east of the city. After opening in 1972, services have been mainly to Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim...
was opened on 5 April 1972. Five Twin Otters were in use in 1972, with additional two added in 1973.
The routes to Røst and Værøy were in 1972 converted to a helicopter route, that was flown by Helilift using two Sikorsky S-58Ts. In 1973, Widerøe received NOK 1.9 million in state subsidies for the helicopter route and NOK 13.6 million for the regional routes. That year, the company signed an option for two de Havilland Canad DHC-7 Dash 7
De Havilland Canada Dash 7
The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with STOL capabilities. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, de Havilland Canada, was purchased by Boeing and was later sold to Bombardier...
. In 1974, Widerøe tested from 1 May to 30 September a route from Sogndal to Oslo over the mountains. On 1 August, five airports were opened in Northern Troms and Finnmark: Sørkjosen, Hammerfest, Mehamn, Berlevåg and Vadsø, and connected to Tromsø, Alta, Lakselv and Kirkenes. This required that the company receive two new Twin Otters. A technical base was built at Hammerfest. Three more airports opened afterwards: Sandane on 1 July 1975, Narvik on 1 October 1975 and Honningsvåg on 1 July 1977. By 1978, the company had twelve Twin Otters.
The first two Dash 7s were taken into use in March and May 1981, with a third delivered in April 1983. The pressure-cabin planes had a capacity of 50 passengers, and Widerøe for the first time took into use flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
s. From September 1983, the Dash 7s were used on the all-year route Oslo–Sogndal–Florø. Following SAS' rearrangement of routes in Northern Norway in 1983, Widerøe was subcontracted the routes Tromsø–Lakselv, Bardufoss–Bodø, Tromsø–Evenes–Bodø, all to be flown with Dash 7, along with the routes to Hammerfest and Vadsø. This required a further two Dash 7s to be delivered.
The airline's last sea plane was decommissioned in 1971. In total the airline operated 12 Twin Otters and 8 Dash 7s at the beginning of the 1990s. In 1992 the airline made an agreement with the Norwegian government in which the airline replaced all of its Twin Otter and Dash 7 aircraft with de Havilland Canada Dash-8-100 aircraft, seating 37. As a result of the agreement, the STOL network in Norway would be a PSO operation from 1 April 1997. The airline won all the routes in 1997, but in 2000 the airline had to relinquish the route Bodø-Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
to Guard Air, but regained it after Guard Air folded. In 2003 the route was surrendered to Kato Air. Since then the airline has lost the routes to Andenes
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....
, Fagernes
Fagernes
is the largest settlement in the valley of Valdres, Norway, with a population of 1,801. Fagernes is the administrative centre of the municipality of Nord-Aurdal.See video from the Fagernes Town : *...
, Florø and Røros
Røros
is a town and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Røros. Other villages include Brekken, Glåmos, Feragen, Galåa, and Hitterdalen....
, though it in 2006 has recaptured the routes to Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
and in 2007 the routes to Andenes
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....
.
From Sandefjord to the world
In 1989 the airline acquired Norsk AirNorsk Air
Widerøe Norsk Air AS, formerly known as Vestfoldfly, Norsk Flytjeneste AS and Norsk Air AS, was a Norwegian airline based at Sandefjord Airport, Torp...
, an airline based at Sandefjord Airport, Torp, for free from the shipping company Kosmos. The airline operated four Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
-Accidents:*Brazilian Air Force on July 8, 1988 an Embraer EMB 120RT Brasília registration FAB-2001 crashed during and engine-out landing at São José dos Campos. Five of the 9 occupants died....
aircraft, and flew from Sandefjord to Copenhagen, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim as well as from Skien Airport, Geiteryggen
Skien Airport, Geiteryggen
Skien Airport, Geiteryggen is an airport located 2.5 km southwest of the city centre of Skien, Norway. Skien Lufthavn AS operates the airport and this company is owned by the local municipality of Skien in the Grenland region. Services are provided by Danish Air Transport to Bergen and Stavanger...
to Bergen and Stavanger. In 1991 the airline changed its name to Widerøe Norsk Air, before it was amalgamated into Widerøe in 1996, the same year as the Brasilias were replaced with 50 seat Dash-8-300. Widerøe Norsk Air also operated the Brasilias between 1991 and 1993 on a route between Sandefjord / Torp - Kristiansand / Kjevik and London Gatwick Airport, but it was closed partially due to an over establishment on flights from Norway to. Today the airline operations from Sandefjord are its most profitable.
Fred. Olsen & Co.
Fred. Olsen & Co.
Fred. Olsen & Co. is a large shipping company based in Oslo, Norway. The company was founded by Petter Olsen in 1848. Today it is the holding company that controls the Olsen family's interest through Bonheur and Ganger Rolf.-History:...
decided to buy part of Widerøe again in the late 1960s, and in 1970 Braathens SAFE
Braathens
Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, is a former Norwegian airline that operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines Norway to become SAS Braathens in 2004. The airline was based in Oslo, first at Fornebu,...
bought 18% of the company. In 1991 Braathens SAFE and SAS sold to Fred. Olsen, who owned 64% of the company. The other owners at that time were Torghatten Trafikkselskap
Torghatten Trafikkselskap
Torghatten ASA is a Norwegian shipping company based in Brønnøysund. The company's areas of operation include operating bus, car ferries, fast ferries, travel agencies, real estate, security and maintenance...
, Nordlandsbanken
Nordlandsbanken
Nordlandsbanken is a Norwegian bank serving the County of Nordland. Nordlandsbanken is a wholly owned subsidiary of DnB NOR who bought the bank in 2003. It has total assets of NOK 22 billion and headquarters in Bodø. The bank has 17 branches.-History:...
and Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane. In 1997 Fred. Olsen sold 29% of its stock to SAS Group
SAS Group
Scandinavian Airlines System Aktiebolag , trading as SAS Group and SAS AB, is a holding company based in Solna, Sweden. It is the parent company of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines, Blue1 and Widerøe, and the aviation services companies SAS Business Opportunities, SAS Cargo Group, SAS Ground...
, who later bought the rest of the company.
Following the deregulation of the Norwegian airline market in 1994, Widerøe launched new international routes, which included flights from Bergen and Stavanger to Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, as well as from Trondheim to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. For some of these operations, Widerøe acquired 76-seat Dash-8-Q400 aircraft. After Scandinavian Airlines bought Braathens in 2002, the group decided to operate Braathens' regional routes in Western Norway with the SAS Commuters Fokker 50 aircraft operating in Northern Norway. The routes in Western Norway were until then operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle
Norwegian Air Shuttle
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA , trading as Norwegian, is the second-largest airline in Scandinavia. In 2010, it transported 13.0 million people. As of October 2011, Norwegian operates a total fleet of 62 aircraft; 17 Boeing 737-300s and 45 Boeing 737-800s...
, who then became a low-cost carrier
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
. SAS Commuter left its operations in Northern Norway to Widerøe, who operate all the SAS Group's regional routes
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
north of Trondheim. This involved that Widerøe took over the routes from Tromsø to Alta, Lakselv and Kirkenes, and the route from Evenes to Tromsø, Bodø and Trondheim from October 2002.
Incidents and accidents
- On 5 March 1964, a Douglas DC-3 crashed during take-off at Oslo Airport, FornebuOslo Airport, FornebuOslo Airport, Fornebu was the main airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one...
. All 18 occupants survived, but the aircraft was written off. - On 28 March 1968, an Otter seaplane crashed at RossfjordstraumenRossfjordstraumenRossfjordstraumen is a village in the municipality of Lenvik in Troms county, Norway. It serves as a community center for the areas around the Rossfjord and the lake, Rossfjordvatnet. It is located about northeast of Finnsnes, and about northeast of the village of Langnes...
. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was written off. - On 11 March 1982, Widerøe Flight 933Widerøe Flight 933On 11 March 1982, Widerøe Flight 933, a Widerøe Twin Otter, registration number LN-BNK, on a flight from Berlevåg Airport to Mehamn crashed into the Barents Sea near Gamvik, killing all fifteen on board. More than twenty years and four rounds of investigation later, this incident remains highly...
, operated by the Twin Otter LN-BNK crashed into the Barents SeaBarents SeaThe Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
near GamvikGamvikis a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mehamn. The municipality of Gamvik was separated from Tana on 1 July 1913....
, on route from Berlevåg AirportBerlevåg AirportBerlevåg Airport is a regional airport serving Berlevåg in Finnmark, Norway. In 2005 Berlevåg Airport had 4,264 passengers. It is operated by Avinor.-Service:...
to Mehamn AirportMehamn AirportMehamn Airport is a regional airport serving Mehamn in Finnmark, Norway. In 2005 Mehamn Airport had 10,895 passengers and is currently operated by Avinor...
. All investigations have concluded that the crash resulted from structural failure of the aircraft's tail caused by severe clear-air turbulenceClear-Air TurbulenceClear air turbulence is the turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual cues such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet....
. However, there has been significant controversy surrounding this, as claims have been made that the aircraft collided with a British Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Harrier Jump JetHarrier Jump JetThe Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...
flying outside its designated operations area during a NATO exercise. - On 6 May 1988, Widerøe Flight 710, operated by a Dash 7, crashed near BrønnøysundBrønnøysundis a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Brønnøy, Norway. It is also a former municipality in Nordland county. The village of Brønnøysund received town status in 2000. The city lies along the coast and is often called "the coastal town in the middle of Norway." Brønnøysund...
, killing all 36 passengers on board in the worst-ever Dash 7 accident. The accident occurred when the aircraft, on approach from Namsos Airport, HøknesøraNamsos Airport, HøknesøraNamsos Airport, Høknesøra is a regional airport located along the Namsen river, just outside of the town of Namsos in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is served with Dash 8 aircraft from Widerøe on public service obligation contracts with the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and...
, descended from 1500 ft to 550 ft too early in the landing procedure, colliding with the mountain TorghattenTorghattenTorghatten is a mountain on Torget island in Brønnøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is known for its characteristic hole, or natural tunnel, through its center...
. - On 12 April 1990, Widerøe Flight 839Widerøe Flight 839Widerøe Flight 839, also known as the Værøy Accident , was a crash into water of a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter just after take-off from Værøy Airport in Norway. The incident occurred on 12 April 1990 at 14:44, and killed all five people on board...
, operated by a Twin Otter, crashed into the seas one minute after take-off from Værøy AirportVærøy AirportVærøy Airport is a closed regional airport on the island of Værøy in Norway. It was used between 1986 and 1990 and was operated by the Municipality of Værøy. It was plagued with low regularity caused by difficult wind conditions. Following the fatal Widerøe Flight 839 accident, the airport was...
, killing all five on board. The cause of the crash had been strong and unpredictable wind gusts during take-off, which had exceeded the plane's limits and created a break-up in the plane's tail rudder, so the plane became uncontrollable. The airport was closed after the incident and replaced by Værøy HeliportVærøy HeliportVærøy Heliport is a heliport on the island of Værøy in Nordland county in Norway. The airport had 8,372 passengers in 2005....
. - On 27 October 1993, Widerøe Flight 744Widerøe Flight 744Widerøe Flight 744, also known as the Namsos Accident , was a controlled flight into terrain of a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter during approach to Namsos Airport, Høknesøra in Norway. The incident occurred on 27 October 1993 at 19:16:48 and killed six of the nineteen people on board,...
, operated by a Twin Otter, crashed while approaching Namsos Airport, HøknesøraNamsos Airport, HøknesøraNamsos Airport, Høknesøra is a regional airport located along the Namsen river, just outside of the town of Namsos in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is served with Dash 8 aircraft from Widerøe on public service obligation contracts with the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and...
en route from Trondheim Airport, VærnesTrondheim Airport, VærnesTrondheim Airport, Værnes is an international airport located in Stjørdal, east of Trondheim, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2010, the airport had 3,521,734 passengers and 55,747 air movements,...
, killing the crew and 4 passengers. Having descended from 1100 ft, the aircraft were supposed to stabilize on 500 ft but instead continued to descend, until it crashed into a ridge 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the airport. - On 14 June 2001, the starboard main undercarriage of a Dash 8-100 aircraft collapsed on landing at Båtsfjord AirportBåtsfjord AirportBåtsfjord Airport is a small regional airport serving Båtsfjord in Finnmark, Norway. The airport is connected to the town centre by route 894. BJF is operated by Avinor and had 10,110 passengers in 2004 ....
after a flight from Alta AirportAlta AirportAlta Airport is the airport of Alta, Norway. It is located about northeast of the town center of Alta, near the community Elvebakken on the southern shore of the Altafjord. The airport has a single paved runway. The government-owned Avinor is responsible for operations...
, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft. No injuries were reported to the three crew and 24 passengers on board. The aircraft, LN-WIS, was written off. - On 1 May 2005, the Dash 8-100 LN-WIK crashed during landing at Hammerfest AirportHammerfest AirportHammerfest Airport is an airport serving the town of Hammerfest in Finnmark, Norway. The airport is located north of the town centre. The airport was opened on 30 July 1974 as part of a series of regional airports in northern Norway. It is operated by Avinor. In 2007, the airport served 148,541...
. Just before landing the wind speed veered and increased, creating a tail wind. The increase in the descent rate was compensated, but was insufficient, and the plane had a touch-down on the right main landing gear, with the leg failing and the aircraft sliding on its belly. The aircraft was written off and widerøe was criticized for permitting landings under too high winds and gusts. - On 15 September 2010, Dash 8-100 LN-WIF made an emergency landing at Sandnessjøen Airport, StokkaSandnessjøen Airport, StokkaSandnessjøen Airport, Stokka is a regional airport serving Sandnessjøen in Nordland, Norway. In 2009, Sandnessjøen Airport served 88,934 passengers. It is operated by Avinor.-Service:...
. Just before landing the aircraft was hit by a strong gust of wind, and the starboard landing gear collapsed upon landing. There were 3 passengers and 4 crew aboard, all were evacuated safely.