Notodden Airport, Tuven
Encyclopedia
Notodden Airport, Tuven is a municipal regional airport at Heddal
in Notodden
, Norway
. The airport is mostly used for general aviation
, and has extensive sailplane activity. Bergen Air Transport
operates the airport's only scheduled route, six times per week to Bergen Airport, Flesland
. In 2010, the airport had 3,598 aircraft movements and 3,134 passengers. The airport has a single 1393 by runway
with flight information service
and instrument landing system
. In connection with the airport is a water aerodrome, which uses the lake of Heddalsvatnet
for take-off and landing.
The airport was opened in 1955, and the following year Braathens SAFE started services to Oslo
and Stavanger
. Low patronage forced the airline to abandon the route in 1959. In 1968, the runway was extended and the municipality hoped to establish charter services, but these never came to be. Partnair
started flights to Oslo and Stavanger in 1985, but these were terminated less than a year later, again due to low patronage. In 1998, Air Team started flights to Oslo and Stavanger, which were replaced by Bergen Air Transport services to Bergen from 2000.
, owner of Braathens SAFE, and representatives for his airline. The airline saw Notodden as a possible gateway to Telemark
, and during the meeting, Braathen promised to start flying to an airport serving Notodden, if it was built. At the time, Braathen had started flying to several smaller airports in Norway, using their de Havilland Heron
aircraft. Braathen had been traveling around Norway arguing for municipalities to build regional airports, stating that he wanted more but smaller airports than the central authorities were planning for. He succeeded at having similar airports built in Hamar
and Røros
.
The issue was discussed politically for the first time on 23 April 1955. An agreement was reached between the municipalities of Heddal
and Notodden about financing and owning the airport, whereby Notodden would own seven elevenths and Heddal four elevenths of the airport. Construction of the airport cost 200,000 Norwegian krone
(NOK), which included a 1000 by runway
. This was sufficient for the Herons, but the plans included the possibility to extend it by another 240 metres (787.4 ft) to allow aircraft such as the Douglas DC-3
to land. Construction took seven and a half months, 9nd the airport opened on 11 November 1955. The operating costs were estimated to NOK 17,850 for the first year. This excluded air traffic control, which was covered by the state.
Braathens SAFE started test flights on 14 March 1956, with the route taking 20 minutes from Oslo Airport, Fornebu
. The scheduled service was inaugurated on 21 May. The service was a stop on Braathens SAFE's route between Oslo and Stavanger Airport, Sola
. Passengers could travel twice each day to both airports, with tickets costing NOK 30. The services were seasonal, and were only flown during the summer half of the year. The airport proved to have too few passengers, so the route was terminated after the end of the 1958 season. The last year, the service was operated by Thor Solberg on contract with Braathens SAFE. From 1959, Solberg started with a two-month service with six weekly round trips to Fornebu, after securing a NOK 5,000 guarantee from the municipality to cover any losses. The route was abandoned after the single season.
The airport gradually increased its general aviation. In the early 1960s, sailplanes became popular at the airport. The airport is located with good wind and air pressure conditions for sailplane flying, and Oslo Flyklubb stationed two of its planes at Tuven. In 1966, Ronald Stensrud established a pilot school. The latter was forced to close after he failed to make a profit.
In 1967, Notodden Municipality granted NOK 900,000 and Telemark County Municipality
granted NOK 600,000 for the runway to be extended to 1400 metres (4,593.2 ft). The new section of runway was laid down to the lake of Heddalsvatnet. At the same time, the gravel runway was asphalted. The plan was to allow international charter flights to use the airport, aiming at tourists during winter to the neighboring mountain resorts, and was sufficient to allow Fokker F-27 Friendship and Convair CV-440 Metropolitan to operate. During a time when there was a heated political debate over state grants to airport, Notodden was the only airport which had expanded without and central grants. The airport never succeeded at attracting any regular charter services.
The opening was planned for 18 October 1968, but was delayed to the following year after the airport was flooded a week before the scheduled opening. Construction also ended with a legal dispute between the municipality and the consulting company Norsk Teknisk Byggekontroll. The initial filling of earthwork had proved insufficient, so additional earthwork had to be filled, cost an additional NOK 840,000. The municipality demanded that the consulting company cover NOK 250,000 of the cost.
In 1979, Det Norske Helikoperskole started Norway's first helicopter pilot school at the airport. This was met with protests from the neighbors, who were affected by noise all day long. The municipality was sued by 600 locals who wanted to prohibit the school from operating. During an air show in 1983, the airport both received a Boeing 737-200 from Braathens SAFE and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Royal Norwegian Air Force
.
In March 1985, Partnair
was granted concession for scheduled services from Fornebu via Notodden to Stavanger. The route was started on 15 August using a ten-seat Beechcraft 200 Super King Air
. The route was opened following the installation of instrument landing system
at the airport, which, costing NOK 2 million, had been financed by Norsk Hydro
. Tinfos
paid NOK 100,000 for new landing lights. The route was operated with twice per day, five times per week. The upgrades also included a new terminal, which included a café in the second story and seating for 14 people. Ticket sales and check-in was managed by NSB Reisebyrå, a subsidiary of the Norwegian State Railways
. After five months, Partnair had lost NOK 1.2 million on the route. In average, they were selling three to four tickets per flight to Stavanger, and one to Oslo. From March, the leg from Notodden to Oslo was dropped, and the service to Stavanger reduced. However, the route proved unprofitable and was eventually terminated later in the month.
As part of the Oslo Airport location controversy, after the new airport was decided located to Gardermoen
, there was a public discussion as to what to do with the general aviation which had operated from Fornebu. While some local aircraft owners wanted to keep a small part of Fornebu for general aviation, the authorities decided to close the airport completely. Instead, the general aviation was distributed to various private airports in Eastern Norway, including Notodden. In May 1998, Air Team started flights from Notodden to Bergen. Following the closing of Fornebu in 1998, Air Team moved all its operations, including pilot school, to Notodden. Following the closing of Eornebu in October, the airline experienced a quadrupling of patronage, as Gardermoen had given longer travel time for people in Buskerud
and Telemark
. In addition to business travel, the airline catered offshore workers who commuter to the North Sea
via Bergen. The airline stated that it intended to also open routes to Stavanger and Copenhagen
.
In 1999, the British airport operator TBI
announced it was in negotiations to purchase an airport close to Oslo, and Dagens Næringsliv
speculated that it could be Notodden. The municipality confirmed that they were in negotiations to establish a limited company to operate the airport, which would be jointly owned by Air Team and the municipality. In 2000, Bergen Air Transport
started flying between Notodden and Bergen, using a Cessna 421
B. It transported 1,000 passengers in 2000, and 1,500 the following year. During the summer of 2002, the company also attempted to fly from Notodden to Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget
, but was forced to give up due to lack of passengers.
On 20 November 2003, Notodden Airport was closed for all scheduled traffic by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, due to a lack of safety requirements. Bergen Air Transport was forced to reroute all its aircraft to Skien Airport, Geiteryggen
. Following an investment of NOK 500,000 from the airline and NOK 1.2 million from the municipality, which owns the airport, scheduled services commenced again. The municipality had ambitions to upgrade the airport to a higher standard, which would allow it to serve charter aircraft weighing more than 5.7 tonnes (5.6 LT) and with more than nine passengers. But after 11 neighboring municipalities said no to give grants for the necessary technical upgrades, the plans were abandoned. Notodden Municipality started plans to increase the popularity of the airport by targeting companies in the neighboring municipality of Kongsberg
to use the airport, instead of going to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen
and Sandefjord Airport, Torp. To keep the airport operational, from 1 October 2004, NOK 250,000 was invested. Starting in October 2004, the airline also introduced security control of all passengers at Notodden Airport. In September 2007, the company bought a new hangar at Notodden, giving it ample space for expansion, and new arrival and departure facilities.
aligned 12–30. It has an flight information service
(AFIS) and is located 19 metres (62.3 ft) above mean sea level
. It has category 3 fire fighting and a rescue vessel. The airport is equipped with an instrument landing system. In connection with the airport lays a water aerodrome, which uses Heddalsvatnet for landing and take-off. The area for landing and take-off is 1000 by and has the same center-line as the runway.
The airport is operated by the limited company Notodden Lufthavn AS, which is again owned by Notodden Municipality. The airport is dominated by general aviation, in part organized by Notodden and Kongsberg flyklubb. In 2010, the airport had 3,598 aircraft movements and 3,134 passengers, making it the scheduled airport in Norway the fewest passengers. Flyteknisk is a retailer and maintainer of Cessna
aircraft, including seaplanes.
Heddal
Heddal is a village and parish in Notodden municipality in Telemark County, Norway.- History :The parish of Hitterdal was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . Notodden was separated from Heddal both as a city and a municipality of its own, in 1913. Heddal was subsequently merged with...
in Notodden
Notodden
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden....
, 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...
. The airport is mostly used for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, and has extensive sailplane activity. Bergen Air Transport
Bergen Air Transport
Bergen Air Transport AS is an airline based at Bergen Airport, Flesland in Norway. In addition to charter aviation and an aviation workshop, it offers a scheduled service between Bergen and Notodden Airport, Tuven. The airline operates two Beechcraft B200 King Air aircraft and one Cessna Citation CJ2...
operates the airport's only scheduled route, six times per week to 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...
. In 2010, the airport had 3,598 aircraft movements and 3,134 passengers. The airport has a single 1393 by runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
with flight information service
Flight Information Service
A flight information service is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region , as agreed internationally by ICAO....
and instrument landing system
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
. In connection with the airport is a water aerodrome, which uses the lake of Heddalsvatnet
Heddalsvatnet
Heddalsvatnet is a lake in the municipalities Notodden and Sauherad in Telemark, Norway. The main influx comes from the rivers Tinnelva and Heddøla. The lake covers an area of 11.9 km2.-References:...
for take-off and landing.
The airport was opened in 1955, and the following year Braathens SAFE started services to Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
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...
. Low patronage forced the airline to abandon the route in 1959. In 1968, the runway was extended and the municipality hoped to establish charter services, but these never came to be. Partnair
Partnair
Partnair was a Norwegian charter airline company owned by Terje and Rolf Thoresen. The company was formed by a merger including Nor-Fly Charter in 1985. The company operated mainly in the ad hoc marked with oil companies as their primary customer...
started flights to Oslo and Stavanger in 1985, but these were terminated less than a year later, again due to low patronage. In 1998, Air Team started flights to Oslo and Stavanger, which were replaced by Bergen Air Transport services to Bergen from 2000.
History
The first plans for an airport serving Notodden were launched i 1954 by Reidar Hedwig-Dahl, who was director of the tourist office. In late 1954 or early 1955, he held a meeting with Ludvig G. BraathenLudvig G. Braathen
Ludvig Gustav Braathen was a Norwegian entrepreneur that founded the shipping company Ludvig G. Braathens Rederi and the airline Braathens SAFE. He was CEO of both companies until his death.-Biography:...
, owner of Braathens SAFE, and representatives for his airline. The airline saw Notodden as a possible gateway to Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, and during the meeting, Braathen promised to start flying to an airport serving Notodden, if it was built. At the time, Braathen had started flying to several smaller airports in Norway, using their de Havilland Heron
De Havilland Heron
The de Havilland DH.114 Heron was a small, propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on 10 May 1950. It was a development of the twin-engine de Havilland Dove, with a stretched fuselage and two more engines. It was designed as a rugged, conventional low-wing monoplane with tricycle...
aircraft. Braathen had been traveling around Norway arguing for municipalities to build regional airports, stating that he wanted more but smaller airports than the central authorities were planning for. He succeeded at having similar airports built in Hamar
Hamar Airport, Stafsberg
Hamar Airport, Stafsberg is located at Stafsberg, just north of the town of Hamar in Norway, and was opened on 17 November 1950. At that time the airport was located at the border point between the municipalities of Hamar, Furnes and Vang. It had scheduled services by Braathens SAFE from 16 May...
and Røros
Røros Airport
Røros Airport is a regional airport serving the town of Røros in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. The airport is located west of the town centre and opened in 1957. It is served daily by DOT LT to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and weekly by Skyways Express to Stockholm-Arlanda Airport...
.
The issue was discussed politically for the first time on 23 April 1955. An agreement was reached between the municipalities of Heddal
Heddal
Heddal is a village and parish in Notodden municipality in Telemark County, Norway.- History :The parish of Hitterdal was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . Notodden was separated from Heddal both as a city and a municipality of its own, in 1913. Heddal was subsequently merged with...
and Notodden about financing and owning the airport, whereby Notodden would own seven elevenths and Heddal four elevenths of the airport. Construction of the airport cost 200,000 Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
(NOK), which included a 1000 by runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
. This was sufficient for the Herons, but the plans included the possibility to extend it by another 240 metres (787.4 ft) to allow aircraft such as the 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...
to land. Construction took seven and a half months, 9nd the airport opened on 11 November 1955. The operating costs were estimated to NOK 17,850 for the first year. This excluded air traffic control, which was covered by the state.
Braathens SAFE started test flights on 14 March 1956, with the route taking 20 minutes from 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 scheduled service was inaugurated on 21 May. The service was a stop on Braathens SAFE's route between Oslo and Stavanger Airport, Sola
Stavanger Airport, Sola
Stavanger Airport, Sola is an international airport located in Sola, Norway, southwest of Stavanger. It is Norway's third-busiest airport, with both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter traffic for the offshore North Sea oil installations...
. Passengers could travel twice each day to both airports, with tickets costing NOK 30. The services were seasonal, and were only flown during the summer half of the year. The airport proved to have too few passengers, so the route was terminated after the end of the 1958 season. The last year, the service was operated by Thor Solberg on contract with Braathens SAFE. From 1959, Solberg started with a two-month service with six weekly round trips to Fornebu, after securing a NOK 5,000 guarantee from the municipality to cover any losses. The route was abandoned after the single season.
The airport gradually increased its general aviation. In the early 1960s, sailplanes became popular at the airport. The airport is located with good wind and air pressure conditions for sailplane flying, and Oslo Flyklubb stationed two of its planes at Tuven. In 1966, Ronald Stensrud established a pilot school. The latter was forced to close after he failed to make a profit.
In 1967, Notodden Municipality granted NOK 900,000 and Telemark County Municipality
Telemark County Municipality
Telemark County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Telemark, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 29 upper secondary schools. It administrates the county roadways, public transport, dental care, culture and cultural heritage.The...
granted NOK 600,000 for the runway to be extended to 1400 metres (4,593.2 ft). The new section of runway was laid down to the lake of Heddalsvatnet. At the same time, the gravel runway was asphalted. The plan was to allow international charter flights to use the airport, aiming at tourists during winter to the neighboring mountain resorts, and was sufficient to allow Fokker F-27 Friendship and Convair CV-440 Metropolitan to operate. During a time when there was a heated political debate over state grants to airport, Notodden was the only airport which had expanded without and central grants. The airport never succeeded at attracting any regular charter services.
The opening was planned for 18 October 1968, but was delayed to the following year after the airport was flooded a week before the scheduled opening. Construction also ended with a legal dispute between the municipality and the consulting company Norsk Teknisk Byggekontroll. The initial filling of earthwork had proved insufficient, so additional earthwork had to be filled, cost an additional NOK 840,000. The municipality demanded that the consulting company cover NOK 250,000 of the cost.
In 1979, Det Norske Helikoperskole started Norway's first helicopter pilot school at the airport. This was met with protests from the neighbors, who were affected by noise all day long. The municipality was sued by 600 locals who wanted to prohibit the school from operating. During an air show in 1983, the airport both received a Boeing 737-200 from Braathens SAFE and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Royal Norwegian Air Force
Royal 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...
.
In March 1985, Partnair
Partnair
Partnair was a Norwegian charter airline company owned by Terje and Rolf Thoresen. The company was formed by a merger including Nor-Fly Charter in 1985. The company operated mainly in the ad hoc marked with oil companies as their primary customer...
was granted concession for scheduled services from Fornebu via Notodden to Stavanger. The route was started on 15 August using a ten-seat Beechcraft 200 Super King Air
Beechcraft Super King Air
The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...
. The route was opened following the installation of instrument landing system
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
at the airport, which, costing NOK 2 million, had been financed by Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...
. Tinfos
Tinfos
Tinfos is a private Norwegian holding company. Its roots dates back to 1875, and has today the head office in Oslo, Norway. The firm is one of the oldest companies in its field of activity in Europe. Its main products are silicomanganese, High Purity Pig Iron and titanium dioxide. The company is...
paid NOK 100,000 for new landing lights. The route was operated with twice per day, five times per week. The upgrades also included a new terminal, which included a café in the second story and seating for 14 people. Ticket sales and check-in was managed by NSB Reisebyrå, a subsidiary of the Norwegian State Railways
Norwegian State Railways (1883–1996)
The Norwegian State Railways was a state-owned railway company that operated most of the railway network in Norway. The government agency was created in 1883 to oversee the construction and operation of all state-owned railways in Norway...
. After five months, Partnair had lost NOK 1.2 million on the route. In average, they were selling three to four tickets per flight to Stavanger, and one to Oslo. From March, the leg from Notodden to Oslo was dropped, and the service to Stavanger reduced. However, the route proved unprofitable and was eventually terminated later in the month.
As part of the Oslo Airport location controversy, after the new airport was decided located to Gardermoen
Gardermoen
Gardermoen may refer to:* Gardermoen, Norway* Oslo Airport, Gardermoen* Gardermoen Air Station* Gardermoen Line* Gardermoen Station...
, there was a public discussion as to what to do with the general aviation which had operated from Fornebu. While some local aircraft owners wanted to keep a small part of Fornebu for general aviation, the authorities decided to close the airport completely. Instead, the general aviation was distributed to various private airports in Eastern Norway, including Notodden. In May 1998, Air Team started flights from Notodden to Bergen. Following the closing of Fornebu in 1998, Air Team moved all its operations, including pilot school, to Notodden. Following the closing of Eornebu in October, the airline experienced a quadrupling of patronage, as Gardermoen had given longer travel time for people in Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
and Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
. In addition to business travel, the airline catered offshore workers who commuter to the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
via Bergen. The airline stated that it intended to also open routes to Stavanger and 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...
.
In 1999, the British airport operator TBI
TBI plc
TBI Limited is an airport owner and operator, incorporated in the United Kingdom in 1972.-History:The company changed name to TBI plc in March, 1994 and to TBI Limited in 2009.TBI bought Cardiff Airport in 1995....
announced it was in negotiations to purchase an airport close to Oslo, and Dagens Næringsliv
Dagens Næringsliv
Dagens Næringsliv, commonly known as DN, is a Norwegian tabloid specializing in business reporting with a claimed daily circulation of 82,775 copies in 2008, making it the 8th largest newspaper in Norway. The editor in chief is Amund Djuve. Its name is Norwegian for "Today's Business".Originally...
speculated that it could be Notodden. The municipality confirmed that they were in negotiations to establish a limited company to operate the airport, which would be jointly owned by Air Team and the municipality. In 2000, Bergen Air Transport
Bergen Air Transport
Bergen Air Transport AS is an airline based at Bergen Airport, Flesland in Norway. In addition to charter aviation and an aviation workshop, it offers a scheduled service between Bergen and Notodden Airport, Tuven. The airline operates two Beechcraft B200 King Air aircraft and one Cessna Citation CJ2...
started flying between Notodden and Bergen, using a Cessna 421
Cessna 421
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Taylor, John W.R. . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976-77. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. ISBN 0-354-00538-3....
B. It transported 1,000 passengers in 2000, and 1,500 the following year. During the summer of 2002, the company also attempted to fly from Notodden to 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...
, but was forced to give up due to lack of passengers.
On 20 November 2003, Notodden Airport was closed for all scheduled traffic by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, due to a lack of safety requirements. Bergen Air Transport was forced to reroute all its aircraft to 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...
. Following an investment of NOK 500,000 from the airline and NOK 1.2 million from the municipality, which owns the airport, scheduled services commenced again. The municipality had ambitions to upgrade the airport to a higher standard, which would allow it to serve charter aircraft weighing more than 5.7 tonnes (5.6 LT) and with more than nine passengers. But after 11 neighboring municipalities said no to give grants for the necessary technical upgrades, the plans were abandoned. Notodden Municipality started plans to increase the popularity of the airport by targeting companies in the neighboring municipality of Kongsberg
Kongsberg
is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg....
to use the airport, instead of going to 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...
and Sandefjord Airport, Torp. To keep the airport operational, from 1 October 2004, NOK 250,000 was invested. Starting in October 2004, the airline also introduced security control of all passengers at Notodden Airport. In September 2007, the company bought a new hangar at Notodden, giving it ample space for expansion, and new arrival and departure facilities.
Facilities
The airport consists of a 1393 by asphalted runwayRunway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
aligned 12–30. It has an flight information service
Flight Information Service
A flight information service is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region , as agreed internationally by ICAO....
(AFIS) and is located 19 metres (62.3 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. It has category 3 fire fighting and a rescue vessel. The airport is equipped with an instrument landing system. In connection with the airport lays a water aerodrome, which uses Heddalsvatnet for landing and take-off. The area for landing and take-off is 1000 by and has the same center-line as the runway.
The airport is operated by the limited company Notodden Lufthavn AS, which is again owned by Notodden Municipality. The airport is dominated by general aviation, in part organized by Notodden and Kongsberg flyklubb. In 2010, the airport had 3,598 aircraft movements and 3,134 passengers, making it the scheduled airport in Norway the fewest passengers. Flyteknisk is a retailer and maintainer of Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
aircraft, including seaplanes.