Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Encyclopedia
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
, 8 kilometres (5 mi) from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one 2370 metres (7,775.6 ft) 06/24 and one 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft) 01/19, and a capacity of 20 aircraft. In 1996, the airport had 170,823 aircraft movement and 10,072,054 passengers. The airport served as a hub
for Scandinavian Airlines System
(SAS), Braathens SAFE and Widerøe
. In 1996, they and 21 other airlines served 28 international destinations. Due to limited terminal and runway capacity, intercontinental and charter airlines used Gardermoen. The Royal Norwegian Air Force
retained offices at Fornebu.
The airport opened as a combined sea and land airport, serving both domestic and international destinations. It replaced the land airport at Kjeller
and the sea airport at Gressholmen
. In 1940, it was taken over by the German Luftwaffe
, but civilian air services began again in 1946 and it was then taken over by the Norwegian Civil Airport Administration. The airport at first had three runways, each at 800 metres (2,624.7 ft), but these were gradually expanded, first the north–south runway and finally the east–west one to the current length in 1962. The same year the terminal moved south to the final location. A large-scale expansion to the terminal was made during the 1980s.
, both which have been preserved. The largest was the 310 square metres (370.8 sq yd) Arrival and Departure which was completed in 1968 and covered three stories.
At the north part of the airport, located where the former main terminal was until 1964, were the offices of the Air Force and Fred Olsen Air Transport
, the main hangar for Braathens SAFE, as well as mechanical facilities for SAS and Fred. Olsen. The fire station and snowplowing facilities were also located there, along with the main radar center. All the terminal buildings built until the early 1960s were still intact until the closing of the airport.
In 1989, about 5,500 people worked at Fornebu. Of these, 3,600 worked for the airlines, including ground services. The airport administration had 350 employees, including administration, air control, fire fighters, meteorology and maintenance. The remaining 500 people worked for other public offices, including the police and customs, as well as service employees working for private companies involved with passenger services.
Fornebu had two runways: a main 2200 metres (7,217.8 ft) east–west runway and a secondary 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft) north–south. Only the main runway was used under ordinary weather conditions, with the north–south runway only being used if there was strong winds from the north and for general aviation
, helicopters and ambulance aircraft. The main runway was equipped with instrument landing system category 1
. Under ordinary weather conditions, flights to Fornebu were to, as soon as possible, divert southwards along the Oslo Fjord to avoid noise pollution to residential areas. However, when necessary, a direct approach could be made eastwards from Drammen
or westwards from Grefsenåsen
. Until 1996, Oslo Air Traffic Control Center
(Oslo ATCC) was located at Fornebu. It had the responsibility to oversee all air traffic in southeastern Norway, bordering to Dovre
in the north, almost to Stavanger
in the west, halfway to Stockholm
to the east and almost to Denmark in the south.
Since Fornebu is located on a peninsula, all transport to the airport needed to go via Lysaker
. A branch from the motorway European Route E18
allowed access to the airport. Lysaker Station
is on the Drammen Line, and was served by both local and regional trains, including services to Oslo Central Station. In addition, Stor-Oslo Lokaltrafikk
offered bus transport to the airport from Asker
and Bærum, including Lysaker. A limited number of services were extended to Snarøya. An airport coach connected the airport to the city center.
Prior to 1 April 1994, all air transport in Norway was restricted to airlines that had received concession from the ministry. On the primary domestic routes, the traffic was split between SAS and Braathens SAFE, although both had services to Trondheim
and Stavanger
. SAS had a monopoly to Bergen
and Northern Norway (Alta
, Bardufoss
, Bodø
, Harstad/Narvik
, Kirkenes
, Longyearbyen and Tromsø), while Braathens SAFE had a monopoly to the other primary airports in Southern Norway (Haugesund
, Kristiansand
, Kristiansund
, Molde
, Røros
and Ålesund
). Widerøe had a monopoly on the regional state-supported routes (Brønnøysund
, Florø
, Førde
, Sandane
, Sogndal
and Ørsta/Volda
), and also served Stord and Sandefjord.
Following Norway joining the European Economic Area
(EEA), the airline industry was deregulated
, allowing any airline from any EEA member country to make domestic or international flights to Norway. However, by 1994 there was no available slots at Fornebu during the morning and evening rush hours, limiting the number of new routes that could be established. After the deregulation, Fornebu could not offer slots to new airlines, and SAS and Braathens could not establish as many competing routes as they wanted to. However, domestic services were provided by both SAS and Braathens SAFE to Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, Bodø, Harstad/Narvik, Tromsø and Longyearbyen. The remaining domestic airports were only served by the incumbent. In addition, Teddy Air
offered services to Fagernes
.
International services were provided by 21 airlines to 28 destinations. SAS had international flights to Amsterdam
, Brussels
, Billund
, Copenhagen
, Düsseldorf
, Frankfurt
, Helsinki
, London
-Heathrow
, Manchester
, Munich
, New York
, Nice
, Paris
, Stockholm
and Zurich
. Braathens SAFE offered international services to Alicante
, Billund
, London-Gatwick
, Malaga
, Newcastle
and Stockholm. Lufthansa
offered flights to Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Other European airlines that provided services to their main hubs included Aeroflot
(Moscow
-Sheremetyevo
), Air France
(Paris
-Charles de Gaulle), Air Malta
(Valetta), Air Portugal (Lisbon
), AirUK
(London-Stansted
), Alitalia
(Milan
), British Airways
(London-Heathrow), Dan-Air
(London-Gatwick), Delta Air Lines
(New York-JFK), Icelandair
(Reykjavík
), KLM (Amsterdam
), LOT Polish Airlines
(Warsaw
), Pan Am (New York-JFK) and Sabena
(Brussels
).
. Following this, the Norwegian Army decided that it needed a military land airport, and established itself at Kjeller
, outside Oslo, in 1912. Kjeller Airport
served as the main airport for Norway until the 1930s, being the main base of the newly established Norwegian Army Air Service
and the first place to have air services.
In 1918, the first Norwegian airline, Det Norske Luftfartrederi
, was established, and plans were made to start flying to Trondheim
. The following year, civil aviation was for the first time discussed in the Norwegian Parliament. Norsk Luftfartsrederi wanted to start sea plane routes from Oslo, and applied to the state to be allowed to lease 2 hectares (4.9 acre) of the island Lindøya
for 99 years. The Oslo Port Authority recommended that the application be denied, since it would interfere with ship traffic and they were already negotiations with the state to purchase the island. The ministry recommended a ten-year lease. Sam Eyde
, who was a member of parliament, recommended that the state should be responsible for all airports, and suggested a state-owned seaplane airport at Gressholmen
. But no money was granted for construction of the airport until 1926, when Gressholmen Airport
opened. Gressholmen was served by Norsk Luftfartsrederi and Deutsche Luft Hansa
.
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the politicians became less satisfied with the solution. Kjeller was considered too far away from the city center (about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi), but along the mainline railway), while transport to Gressholmen needed to be done by ferry. The politicians also wanted to have a combined land- and seaplane airport, and it had become clear that serving Gressholmen was interfering with ship traffic. A committee was established to look into the matter. While considering many locations, it made detail surveys of only two places: Ekeberg
, located southeast of the city center, and Fornebu, to the southwest.
on the southern tip. From 1921, Snarøya had received a coach service, and had grown with many single dwellings. About 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) northeast of Fornebu is the town Lysaker
, which had a railway station on the Drammen Line. The committee decided to purchase 90 hectares (222.4 acre) on the northern part of the peninsula. The Fornebu-solution would be more expensive, but would give a larger airport and better landing conditions. The formal decision to build the airport was taken in 1934.
It was the Municipality of Oslo who built the airport, having bought the land from the Municipality of Bærum. Construction was to serve as work creation for the unemployed, and workers were selected based on how long they had been unemployed and the number of people in their family. Because the need for workplaces was greatest in the winter, most of the construction was done during the winters of 1935, 1936 and 1937. Not until 1937 was a normal 48-hour week throughout the year introduced. 1000000 cubic metres (35,314,666.2 cu ft) of rock was blasted and, along with garbage from Oslo, used to fill inn the swamps and depressions. Because of the delays, plans were changed and three runways were built, two 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) long and one 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) long. The airport was equipped with a control tower
, administration building, a hangar
with a workshop and a service building. Docks for sea planes were constructed about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) to the south, on the east shore of the peninsula.
In 1934, there were three domestic airlines in Norway: Det Norske Luftfartsselskap (DNL), Norske Luftruter and Widerøe's Flyveselskap
. All three applied to the state for subsidies to operate routes. DNL applied for a ten-year concession
with a annual subsidy to fly Oslo–Kristiansand
–Amsterdam
, continuing northwards to Ålesund
. Widerøe applied for NOK 265,000 per year for a three-year concession for the sea plane routes Oslo–Bergen
and Bergen–Trondheim. Norske Luftruter applied for NOK 250,000 per year for a route from Bergen to Copenhagen
via Kristiansand and Oslo. The following year, parliament passed a long-term plan for construction of airports, which would be located in Oslo, Telemark
, Kristiansand, Stavanger
, Bergen, Ålesund and Trondheim. In each case, the municipalities would have to purchase land and build the airport, but the state would reimburse 50% of the investments. Due to the high cost burden on the municipalities, only Stavanger Airport, Sola
and Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
were operational by the time Fornebu opened.
, operated by Lufthansa, in September 1938. The plane had flown a scheduled route to Kjeller, and the captain had taken the plane onward to Fornebu to try out the new airport. On 16 April 1939, the seaplane section was taken into regular use. The first plane was a Ju 52 operated by DNL to Copenhagen. The official opening took place on 1 June 1939. The first plane to land after the official opening was a Douglas DC-2
operated by KLM from Amsterdam. The first departure was provided by the Danish airline Det Danske Luftfartsselskab, when a Focke-Wulf Fw 200
took off to Copenhagen. The captain made a mistake, and took off from the parking space instead of the runway. In addition to these two routes, Luft Hansa started flights to Germany and DNL's route to Amsterdam. During the fall, a DNL also flew from Perth, Scotland
, via Oslo to Stockholm, but this route was soon canceled.
As part of the invasion of Norway by Nazi Germany
on 9 April 1940, German Luftwaffe
-aircraft landed at Fornebu. There was no attempt by the civilian airport authorities to hinder this, such as driving cars onto the runway, although several German aircraft collided with each other during the landing. A KLM aircraft had a scheduled service that morning, and the captain was ordered to leave the passengers, take the crew and return to Oslo. On 12 April, the airport was bombed by the British Royal Air Force
. On 14 April, the KLM captain was granted permission to fly back to Amsterdam with the crew, albeit without any passengers. The German military used Fornebu heavily during the war, but it was never of any strategic importance, since it was located far from any battle zones. During the war, the airport officially remained owned by the municipality. By orders of the German authorities, the main north–south runway was expanded to 1200 metres (3,937 ft), and all facilities not yet built were completed. However, during the war all other runways than the main north–south were taken out of use. At the north end of the runway, the Luftwaffe built several hangars and a prison camp. Prisoners were used to keep the runways free of snow during winter, by marching along them and stomping the snow down.
In May 1945, as German forces were ousted from Norway, the airport was taken over by the Allies
and the Royal Norwegian Air Force
. None of the civilian airlines were in operation, and the Air Force started flying commercial flights. In addition to previous lines, a route was started to Northern Norway, although it had to be terminated for the winter. Due to the lack of qualified personnel, the international services had to be terminated as well. In early 1946, management of the airport was transferred back to the municipality. Due to the technological development of aviation during the war, the runway needed to be expanded. The 1200 metres (3,937 ft) runway was sufficient for Douglas DC-3
aircraft, but insufficient for the larger Douglas DC-4
planes. The latter were all used by American Overseas Airways, DNL's North America routes and British European Airways
' route to London
, which were all transferred to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.
established a restaurant at the airport. In 1946, DNL launched plans to expand the north–south runway to 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) by taking into use the whole peninsula. In addition, they wanted a second east–west runway to be built. The state took over ownership of the airport—without compensation—in 1946, albeit with the clause that if the airport ever should close, the real estate should be returned to the municipality. Stavanger Airport had been a candidate for intercontinental travel, but a state committee in 1949 decided that instead this should be shared between Fornebu and Gardermoen. Another committee was established in 1948, and in 1950 it recommended that all airport services in the Oslo region should be concentrated at Gardermoen, and that a new motorway be built to the airport. Among politicians and planners, there were two main ideologies: The first, which dominated in political circles, stated that Fornebu's close proximity to the city center was a key to reaching a market in Oslo and for the growth of the airlines. The second emphasized that, in the long run, Fornebu could not fulfill the requirements of a central airport, and that a better location should be established.
Following the political processes, the north–south runway was extended to 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft). With the completion of this, intercontinental traffic was moved from Gardermoen to Fornebu. In 1946, Overseas Scandinavian Airlines System had been established between DNL, DDL and the Swedish Aerotransport. The same year, shipowner Ludvig G. Braathen
established Braathens South American and Far East (Braathens SAFE), which started with charter flights using DC-4s. The first civilian route was operated by KLM, who started the route Oslo–Kristiansand–Amsterdam in March 1946. From 1 April, DNL operated a route to Copenhagen, followed a week later with the route via Stavanger to London, using DC-3s. The third DNL route was to Stockholm using Ju 52s, and the fourth via Gothenburg
and Copenhagen to Zurich
and Marseilles. In May, DNL started routes to Trondheim and Tromsø
, and later onwards to Kirkenes
. It also started a direct service to Copenhagen. In October, routes were established via Kristiansand to Amsterdam, Brussels
and Paris
. Finally, a route was started via Copenhagen to Praha and to Stavanger. In 1946, DNL had 47,000 passengers (although not all flew through Fornebu). The company operated six DC-3s and five Ju 52s.
In 1947, Icelandair
started flights to Reykjavík
and the same year British European Airways
transferred its London route from Gardermoen to Fornebu. DNL bought three Short Sandringham
seaplanes which were put into service along the coast as the "Flying Coastal Express". They remained in service from 1947 until May 1950, but proved expensive in operation. In 1949, Braathens SAFE introduced scheduled flights from Fornebu using DC-3s; it had long-haul flights to the Far East, with stops in Amsterdam, Geneva
, Rome
, Cairo
, Basra
, Karachi
, Bombay, Calcutta and Bangkok
before arriving in Hong Kong
. Following the establishment of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) in 1949, all international concessions were transferred to that company, and Braathens SAFE started domestic services, although they kept their existing concessions on international routes until 1954.
Braathens SAFE's first domestic service was via Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg
to Stavanger, and later a route to Trondheim. These were both operated with Heron
aircraft. At first the Trondheim route was flown to Lade, but were quickly transferred to the current airport at Værnes
. Loftleidir started flights to Reykjavík in 1952.
In 1953, work started with expanding the north–south runway to 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft) and building a new east–west runway which also was to become 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft). The same year a new commission was established, which in 1957 recommended that the east–west runway be expanded to 3300 metres (10,826.8 ft) and the north–south runway to 2150 metres (7,053.8 ft). Local residents and politicians were opposed to the expansion plans, and Akershus County Council
voted against them. The ministry then chose to expand the east–west runway to only 2200 metres (7,217.8 ft) and leave the north–south runway untouched. The plans would allow the east–west runway to be expanded to 2800 metres (9,186.4 ft) in the future, if necessary. The north–south runway had difficult landing conditions, in part because of the residential areas north of the line. From 1959, the ministry denied jet aircraft
from using the then longer runway. In the 1950s, SAS started using Convair 440s, while Braathens SAFE took into use Fokker F-27s. Both companies later also took into use Douglas DC-6
s.
In 1952, SAS started flights to Bodø Airport
and in 1955 to Bergen Airport, Flesland
. In 1955, Braathens SAFE also started flights to Kristiansand and Farsund Airport, Lista
, and the following year at Notodden Airport, Tuven
, all en-route to Stavanger. That year also saw some of their Trondheim flights land at Hamar Airport, and in 1957 at Røros Airport
. In 1958, Ålesund Airport, Vigra
was opened and became served by Braathens SAFE. The Røros stops were terminated in 1958, but reinstated in 1963 after the runway had been extended. The Hamar stops were permanently terminated in 1959.
In 1960, Finnair
started flying to Helsinki
, although direct flights were not introduced until 1971. After 1962, the east–west runway became the main runway. Along with the runway expansion, a new service building, with a capacity for 2 million passengers, was opened in 1964. It was located about half a kilometer (quarter of a mile) south of the former terminal. Designed by Odd Nansens Arkitektkontor
, it had two stories, one for arrivals and one for departures, and two wings, one for domestic and one for international flights. It included a central hall that had a panorama view over the aircraft. The expanded allowed SAS to take into use the Sud Aviation Caravelle
jets on the Copenhagen routes, although they were also occasionally used to Bodø.
in 1963, all served by SAS: Alta Airport
, Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
and Lakselv Airport, Banak
. The following year, SAS also started flights to Tromsø Airport. In 1966, Lufthansa
started flights to Hamburg
, and later also introduced departures to Düsseldorf
, Frankfurt and Munich
. During the 1960s, SAS introduced Caravelles on most of the domestic routes.
During the 1970s, Douglas DC-7
s were also taken into use. Pan American
had flights to New York
from 1967 to 1973 and from 1976 to 1978. Braathens SAFE started taking delivery of Boeing 737-200s and Fokker F-28s in 1969, and these gradually took over most of the domestic routes. In 1970, Air France
and Swissair
started flying to Fornebu from Paris
and Zurich
, respectively. They were supplemented by Aeroflot
's Moscow
route in 1972.
In 1971, a state committee recommended that Gardermoen be expanded to take a larger share of the traffic from Fornebu. At the same time, a new main airport was eventually to be built at Hobøl
. From 1971, charter flights were moved to Gardermoen, although SAS and Braathens SAFE were granted dispensation so they only needed to serve one Oslo airport. On 1 July 1971, Widerøe also started serving domestic routes to Fornebu, with the opening of regional airport in Sogn og Fjordane
. These routes were served using de Havilland Canada Twin Otter and later de Havilland Canada Dash 7
aircraft, although regular services to all airports were not introduced until the late 1970s, with the introduction of the Dash 7. The last four primary airports were opened during the 1970s. Braathens SAFE started flights to Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget
in 1972, Molde Airport, Årø
in 1972 and Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
in 1973. In 1975, SAS started flights to Haugesund Airport, Karmøy
.
During the 1980s, the airport was again deemed too small. In 1983, also charter flights operated by SAS and Braathens were forced to move to Gardermoen. Additional foreign services were introduced, namely Sabena
to Brussels
in 1985, Dan-Air
to London-Gatwick and Newcastle in 1986 and Alitalia
to Milan
in 1988. During a period of reconstruction at Gardermoen, Trans World Airlines
also served Fornebu, and the same year Pan American reintroduced its route to New York. Air Europe
also started to fly from London-Gatwick to Fornebu. An additional story was added to the service building, allowing office space to be moved there and free up space for check-in and traveler service on the two main stories. Two satellites were built for the domestic terminal, one each for Braathens SAFE and SAS, allowing increased waiting area for travelers. The international terminal was expanded with a five-gate pier with jetbridges. A multi-story parking house was also built.
Norsk Air
started serving Fornebu following the opening of Fagernes Airport, Leirin
in 1987. The route was closed within a year, but taken up again by Coast Air
in 1990. From 1996, the route was taken over by Teddy Air
.
In 1989, Braathens SAFE started its first international scheduled service since 1960, from Fornebu to Billund
in Denmark. Two years later, the company started flying to Newcastle, after Dan-Air had withdrawn from the route, and to Malmö
in Sweden. That year also saw the start of Norway Airlines
, who started a base at Fornebu and offered flights to London-Gatwick, as well as to Stockholm, in cooperation with Transwede, and to Copenhagen, in cooperation with Sterling
. In 1992, both Norway Airlines and Dan-Air went bankrupt, and Braathens SAFE started flights to London-Gatwick. They terminated the Malmö route in 1994. After the deregulation, Braathens SAFE also introduced flights to Alicante
, Malaga
, Rome
and Stockholm. Widerøe introduced international services to Gothenburg
and Berlin
.
In 1994, the domestic and international flights to the European Union
were deregulated, and the number of international services increased and Fornebu received airlines such as Air Malta
, Air Portugal, AirUK
and LOT Polish Airlines
. Other airlines to fly from Fornebu during the 1980s and 1990s includes Delta Air Lines
, Northwest Orient and Tower Air
. Domestically, Braathens SAFE introduced flights to Bergen, Bodø, Harstad/Narvik and Tromsø.
, Askim
, Nesodden
and Ås
. Hobøl was preliminarily selected and areas reserved for a future airport. During the 1970s, the Labor Party
became concerned that Hobøl was located too centrally in relation to the growth areas around Oslo, and instead wanted to use Gardermoen, in an attempt to force the population growth further north. Commercial interests and the airlines supported Hobøl. In 1983, Parliament decided to abandon the plans for Hobøl and continue with a divided solution. Fornebu would be expanded, and all charter traffic be moved to Gardermoen. From 1988, all international traffic would also be moved, making Fornebu a pure domestic airport.
Increased traffic in the mid-1980s changed the politician's interests, and in 1988 Parliament voted to build a new main airport at Hurum, located on the same side of Oslo as Fornebu, but further away. However, new weather data showed that Hurum was unsuitable, and the location was discarded. There were accusations that the data was fabricated to manipulate the political decision. In 1992, parliament made a final vote that started construction of a new airport at Gardermoen and Fornebu would be closed.
Financing of the airport at Gardermoen would be done through a state loan issued to a limited company owned by the Civil Airport Administration. This company would build and operate Gardermoen, but from 1 January 1997 it also took over operation of Fornebu. After the last plane took off from Fornebu on 7 October 1998, 300 people spent the night to transport 500 truckloads of equipment from Fornebu to Gardermoen. The new Oslo Airport, Gardermoen opened on the morning of 8 October 1998.
Some locals wanted to keep Fornebu as a regional airport for the Oslo and Bærum area. The proposal was launched involved keeping part of the runway and terminals and allowing aircraft such as Dash 8, Fokker 50 and British Aerospace 146 to use the airport. Proponents argued that a similar role was used for Stockholm-Bromma Airport
and Chicago
's Midway Airport
.
The opening of Gardermoen had strategic impact on aviation in Norway. Despite the deregulation of the market in 1994, the lack of free slots at Fornebu made it impossible to have free competition, since no new airlines could establish themselves and no new international airlines could fly to Fornebu. Gardermoen allowed this to happen, and from 1 August 1998, Color Air
started with flights from Oslo, pressing down prices on domestic routes. Although the airline went bankrupt the following year, the losses for Braathens were so high that they were taken over by SAS. The gap was then filled by Norwegian Air Shuttle
.
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 Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by 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 the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu
Fornebu
Fornebu is a peninsular area in the suburban municipality of Bærum in Norway, bordering western parts of Oslo.Oslo Airport, Fornebu served as the main airport for Oslo and the country since before WWII and until the evening of October 7, 1998, when it was closed down...
in Bærum
Bærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....
, 8 kilometres (5 mi) from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one 2370 metres (7,775.6 ft) 06/24 and one 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft) 01/19, and a capacity of 20 aircraft. In 1996, the airport had 170,823 aircraft movement and 10,072,054 passengers. The airport served as a 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...
for 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), Braathens SAFE and Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
. In 1996, they and 21 other airlines served 28 international destinations. Due to limited terminal and runway capacity, intercontinental and charter airlines used Gardermoen. 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...
retained offices at Fornebu.
The airport opened as a combined sea and land airport, serving both domestic and international destinations. It replaced the land airport at Kjeller
Kjeller Airport
Kjeller Airport is a military and general aviation airport located in Kjeller, Norway, near Lillestrøm and east northeast of Oslo. It has facilities for carrying out maintenance for aircraft belonging to the Royal Norwegian Air Force....
and the sea airport at Gressholmen
Gressholmen Airport
Gressholmen Airport was the main airport serving Oslo, Norway from 1927 to 1939, until the construction of Fornebu Airport. The airport was on the islet of Gressholmen, and was only for seaplanes...
. In 1940, it was taken over by the German 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....
, but civilian air services began again in 1946 and it was then taken over by the Norwegian Civil Airport Administration. The airport at first had three runways, each at 800 metres (2,624.7 ft), but these were gradually expanded, first the north–south runway and finally the east–west one to the current length in 1962. The same year the terminal moved south to the final location. A large-scale expansion to the terminal was made during the 1980s.
Facilities
At the time of closing, the airport consisted of a single terminal with three satellites: two domestic and one international. The service building had three stories, one for arrival, one for departure and one for administration. Airplane capacity at the airport was 20 craft; five planes parked at the international terminal could be served with jetbridges, while passengers had to walk outdoors to get to domestic planes. The airport terminals were 36000 square metres (43,055.6 sq yd), of which 16000 square metres (19,135.8 sq yd) were for the public. In the main hall of the terminal were two murals made by Kai FjellKai Fjell
Kai Breder Fjell was a Norwegian painter, printmaker and scenographer.- Biography :Fjell was born on a farm in the village Skoger near Drammen, Norway. His father was the farmer and painter Conrad Bendiks Fjeld....
, both which have been preserved. The largest was the 310 square metres (370.8 sq yd) Arrival and Departure which was completed in 1968 and covered three stories.
At the north part of the airport, located where the former main terminal was until 1964, were the offices of the Air Force and Fred Olsen Air Transport
Fred Olsen Air Transport
Fred Olsen Air Transport was based in Norway and operated between 1946 and 1997.-Company history:The airline was set up in June 1946 as a subsidiary of Fred. Olsen & Co.. Initially, freight and passenger charter flights were conducted using Douglas DC-3, frequently carrying ships crews...
, the main hangar for Braathens SAFE, as well as mechanical facilities for SAS and Fred. Olsen. The fire station and snowplowing facilities were also located there, along with the main radar center. All the terminal buildings built until the early 1960s were still intact until the closing of the airport.
In 1989, about 5,500 people worked at Fornebu. Of these, 3,600 worked for the airlines, including ground services. The airport administration had 350 employees, including administration, air control, fire fighters, meteorology and maintenance. The remaining 500 people worked for other public offices, including the police and customs, as well as service employees working for private companies involved with passenger services.
Fornebu had two runways: a main 2200 metres (7,217.8 ft) east–west runway and a secondary 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft) north–south. Only the main runway was used under ordinary weather conditions, with the north–south runway only being used if there was strong winds from the north and 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...
, helicopters and ambulance aircraft. The main runway was equipped with instrument landing system category 1
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...
. Under ordinary weather conditions, flights to Fornebu were to, as soon as possible, divert southwards along the Oslo Fjord to avoid noise pollution to residential areas. However, when necessary, a direct approach could be made eastwards from Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
or westwards from Grefsenåsen
Grefsenåsen
Grefsenåsen is a hill in Lillomarka in Oslo, Norway. The height is 377 meter.The view from the top is magnificent, and the hill has for a long time been a popular resort for day-trippers living in Oslo...
. Until 1996, Oslo Air Traffic Control Center
Oslo Air Traffic Control Center
Oslo Air Traffic Control Center or Oslo ATCC is responsible for the controlled airspace above Eastern Norway. The area control center is located at Røyken, between Oslo and Drammen. The Control Center is owned and operated by the state enterprise Avinor...
(Oslo ATCC) was located at Fornebu. It had the responsibility to oversee all air traffic in southeastern Norway, bordering to Dovre
Dovre
Dovre is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Dovre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dovre....
in the north, almost to 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...
in the west, halfway to 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...
to the east and almost to Denmark in the south.
Since Fornebu is located on a peninsula, all transport to the airport needed to go via 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...
. A branch from the motorway European Route E18
European route E18
European route E18 runs from Craigavon in the United Kingdom to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is about 1,890 km in length.-United Kingdom:...
allowed access to the airport. Lysaker Station
Lysaker Station
Lysaker Station is Norway's third-largest railway station, located at Lysaker on the Drammen Line. It serves express, regional, local and Airport Express trains. The station opened in 1872, and is located west of Oslo S at elevation...
is on the Drammen Line, and was served by both local and regional trains, including services to Oslo Central Station. In addition, Stor-Oslo Lokaltrafikk
Stor-Oslo Lokaltrafikk
Stor-Oslo Lokaltrafikk AS or SL was the public transport administration for bus and ferry transport in Akershus, Norway from 1973 to 2007. SL was organised as a limited company owned by the Akershus county municipality, the City of Oslo, and the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications,...
offered bus transport to the airport from Asker
Asker
Asker is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Viken traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Asker. The municipality is a suburb of Oslo, the national capital...
and Bærum, including Lysaker. A limited number of services were extended to Snarøya. An airport coach connected the airport to the city center.
Airlines and destinations
In 1996, the airport had 170,823 aircraft movement and 10,072,054 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the country. It served as the main hub for Braathens SAFE, one of three main hubs for SAS and as one of many for Widerøe.Prior to 1 April 1994, all air transport in Norway was restricted to airlines that had received concession from the ministry. On the primary domestic routes, the traffic was split between SAS and Braathens SAFE, although both had services to Trondheim
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,...
and Stavanger
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...
. SAS had a monopoly to Bergen
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 Northern Norway (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...
, Bardufoss
Bardufoss Airport
Bardufoss Airport is situated at Bardufoss in the municipality of Målselv in Troms, North Norway. The airport is primarily military, but also serves a few civilian flights...
, Bodø
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...
, Harstad/Narvik
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...
, 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...
, Longyearbyen and Tromsø), while Braathens SAFE had a monopoly to the other primary airports in Southern Norway (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....
, 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...
, Kristiansund
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...
, 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...
, 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...
and Ålesund
Ålesund Airport, Vigra
Ålesund Airport, Vigra is an airport which serves the city of Ålesund in Norway and the surrounding regions Sunnmøre, Nordfjord and Romsdal. The airport is located on the island of Vigra in the Giske municipality, northeast of Ålesund city centre and easily accessible through underseas tunnels...
). Widerøe had a monopoly on the regional state-supported routes (Brønnøysund
Brønnøysund Airport, Brønnøy
Brønnøysund Airport, Brønnøy is the airport serving the town of Brønnøysund in the Brønnøy municipality in Nordland, Norway. The airport is located southeast of the town centre and opened in 1968. Brønnøy is operated by Avinor...
, Florø
Florø Airport
Florø airport is an airport serving the town of Florø in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located south of the town centre, on an area of land called Florelandet...
, Førde
Førde Airport, Bringeland
Førde Airport, Bringeland is located in the municipality of Gaular in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The airport is at Bringelandsåsen, about east of the end of the Dalsfjorden at an elevation of above sea level....
, Sandane
Sandane Airport, Anda
Sandane Airport, Anda is an airport in the Gloppen municipality in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway, opened in 1975. The airport is located north of the municipality centre, at the base of a peninsula between the fjords Nordfjord and Gloppefjord...
, Sogndal
Sogndal Airport, Haukåsen
Sogndal Airport, Haukåsen opened in 1971 and is owned and operated by Avinor. The airport is located about southwest of Kaupanger in the municipality of Sogndal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway...
and Ørsta/Volda
Ørsta-Volda Airport, Hovden
Ørsta-Volda Airport, Hovden is a regional airport serving the municipalities of Ørsta and Volda, as well as the rest of southern Sunnmøre in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The airport served 91,827 passengers in 2009. It is operated by Avinor.-Service:...
), and also served Stord and Sandefjord.
Following Norway joining the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
(EEA), the airline industry was deregulated
Airline deregulation
Airline deregulation is the process of removing entry and price restrictions on airlines affecting, in particular, the carriers permitted to serve specific routes. In the United States, the term usually applies to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978...
, allowing any airline from any EEA member country to make domestic or international flights to Norway. However, by 1994 there was no available slots at Fornebu during the morning and evening rush hours, limiting the number of new routes that could be established. After the deregulation, Fornebu could not offer slots to new airlines, and SAS and Braathens could not establish as many competing routes as they wanted to. However, domestic services were provided by both SAS and Braathens SAFE to Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, Bodø, Harstad/Narvik, Tromsø and Longyearbyen. The remaining domestic airports were only served by the incumbent. In addition, Teddy Air
Teddy Air
Teddy Air AS was a regional airline, based at Skien Airport, Geiteryggen, in Norway. Operating between 1989 and 2004, the company operated Britten-Norman Islander, Embraer 110 and Saab 340 aircraft. The company started by providing a scheduled service between Skien and Oslo in 1990, followed by...
offered services to Fagernes
Fagernes Airport, Leirin
Fagernes Airport, Leirin serves Fagernes and the surrounding valleys of Valdres, Hallingdal and Gudbrandsdal in Southern Norway, from Oslo. Opened in 1987, it is owned and operated by state-owned Avinor. The airport is above sea level, and has a runway...
.
International services were provided by 21 airlines to 28 destinations. SAS had international flights to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Billund
Billund, Denmark
Billund is the second largest town in Billund Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark with a population of 6,139 .-Overview:...
, 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...
, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-Heathrow
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 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...
and Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Braathens SAFE offered international services to Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Billund
Billund, Denmark
Billund is the second largest town in Billund Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark with a population of 6,139 .-Overview:...
, London-Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
, Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, 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...
and Stockholm. Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
offered flights to Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Other European airlines that provided services to their main hubs included Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
(Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
-Sheremetyevo
Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport , is an international airport located in the Moscow Oblast, Russia, north-west of central Moscow. It is a hub for the passenger operations of the Russian international airline Aeroflot, and one of the three major airports serving Moscow along with Domodedovo...
), Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
(Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-Charles de Gaulle), Air Malta
Air Malta
Air Malta plc is the national airline of Malta, headquartered in Luqa. It operates services to 36 destinations in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The airline's hub and base is at Malta International Airport.- History :...
(Valetta), Air Portugal (Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
), AirUK
AirUK
Air UK was a wholly privately owned, independentindependent from government-owned corporations regional British airline formed in 1980 as a result of a merger involving four rival UK-based regional airlines. British and Commonwealth -owned British Island Airways and Air Anglia were the two...
(London-Stansted
London Stansted Airport
-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
), Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
(Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
), British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
(London-Heathrow), Dan-Air
Dan-Air
Dan-Air was a leading private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline based in the United Kingdom....
(London-Gatwick), Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
(New York-JFK), Icelandair
Icelandair
Icelandair ehf is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, based on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík. It is part of the Icelandair Group and currently operates scheduled services to 31 cities in 13 countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean out of its hub at Keflavík International Airport...
(Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
), KLM (Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
), LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,...
(Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
), Pan Am (New York-JFK) and Sabena
Sabena
SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines...
(Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
).
Background
Aviation in Oslo started in 1909, when Carl Gustav Cederström of Sweden had a flight show based at the fields at EtterstadEtterstad
Etterstad is a neighborhood in Oslo, located between the river Alna and Strømsveien, north of Vålerenga. It was incorporated into Oslo in 1946, two years before the merger of Oslo and Aker. The area is mainly residential.-History:...
. Following this, the Norwegian Army decided that it needed a military land airport, and established itself at Kjeller
Kjeller
Kjeller is located near Lillestrøm in the municipality of Skedsmo, Norway. It is located 25 kilometers north of Oslo.-The name:The Norse form of the name was probably Tjaldir. This is then the plural of tjald n 'tent'...
, outside Oslo, in 1912. Kjeller Airport
Kjeller Airport
Kjeller Airport is a military and general aviation airport located in Kjeller, Norway, near Lillestrøm and east northeast of Oslo. It has facilities for carrying out maintenance for aircraft belonging to the Royal Norwegian Air Force....
served as the main airport for Norway until the 1930s, being the main base of the newly established Norwegian Army Air Service
Norwegian Army Air Service
The Norwegian Army Air Service ' was established in 1914. Its main base and aircraft factory was at Kjeller. On 10 November 1944 the NoAAS was joined with the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service to form the Royal Norwegian Air Force....
and the first place to have air services.
In 1918, the first Norwegian airline, Det Norske Luftfartrederi
Det Norske Luftfartrederi
Aktieselskapet Det Norske Luftfartsrederi or DNL was Norway's first scheduled airline, founded in 1918 and operated services between Bergen, Haugesund and Stavanger in 1920. It operated Supermarine Channel flying boats...
, was established, and plans were made to start flying to 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...
. The following year, civil aviation was for the first time discussed in the Norwegian Parliament. Norsk Luftfartsrederi wanted to start sea plane routes from Oslo, and applied to the state to be allowed to lease 2 hectares (4.9 acre) of the island Lindøya
Lindøya
Lindøya is a small island located in the Oslofjord, just south of central Oslo. Administratively it belongs to the borough of Gamle Oslo.In 1920, Lindøya was the Oslo base for the pioneer Norwegian airline, Det Norske Luftfartrederi, and its seaplanes. The operation only lasted until the autumn of...
for 99 years. The Oslo Port Authority recommended that the application be denied, since it would interfere with ship traffic and they were already negotiations with the state to purchase the island. The ministry recommended a ten-year lease. Sam Eyde
Sam Eyde
Samuel Eyde was a Norwegian engineer and industrialist, the founder of Norsk Hydro and Elkem.-Biography:Sam Eyde was the son of a shipowner, and studied engineering in Berlin where he graduated in 1891. He started his career in Hamburg, working with the railways where he planned new lines, bridges...
, who was a member of parliament, recommended that the state should be responsible for all airports, and suggested a state-owned seaplane airport at Gressholmen
Gressholmen
Gressholmen is an islet located in the Oslofjord, just south of central Oslo. Administratively it belongs to the borough of Gamle Oslo.Gressholmen airport was for the years 1927 through 1939 the location of the main airport for Oslo, until the construction of Fornebu airport. The airport was only...
. But no money was granted for construction of the airport until 1926, when Gressholmen Airport
Gressholmen Airport
Gressholmen Airport was the main airport serving Oslo, Norway from 1927 to 1939, until the construction of Fornebu Airport. The airport was on the islet of Gressholmen, and was only for seaplanes...
opened. Gressholmen was served by Norsk Luftfartsrederi and Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
.
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the politicians became less satisfied with the solution. Kjeller was considered too far away from the city center (about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi), but along the mainline railway), while transport to Gressholmen needed to be done by ferry. The politicians also wanted to have a combined land- and seaplane airport, and it had become clear that serving Gressholmen was interfering with ship traffic. A committee was established to look into the matter. While considering many locations, it made detail surveys of only two places: Ekeberg
Ekeberg
Ekeberg is a neighborhood in the city of Oslo, Norway. The Norway Cup soccer tournament takes place at Ekebergsletta every summer. "Sletta" means plateau. The painting "the Scream" by Edvard Munch is painted from Utsikten a part of Ekeberg.In the area are a number of old Iron Age grave mounds and...
, located southeast of the city center, and Fornebu, to the southwest.
Construction
At the time, Fornebu was a mostly unpopulated area. Until 1907, a lumber mill was located at SnarøyaSnarøya
Snarøya is a populated peninsula in the inner Oslofjord in Norway. A suburb of Oslo, administratively and geographically it belongs to Bærum municipality in Akershus county. It is located south of the districts Lysaker, Lagåsen and Fornebu, and has 2,940 inhabitants.-History:Its name is derived...
on the southern tip. From 1921, Snarøya had received a coach service, and had grown with many single dwellings. About 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) northeast of Fornebu is the town 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...
, which had a railway station on the Drammen Line. The committee decided to purchase 90 hectares (222.4 acre) on the northern part of the peninsula. The Fornebu-solution would be more expensive, but would give a larger airport and better landing conditions. The formal decision to build the airport was taken in 1934.
It was the Municipality of Oslo who built the airport, having bought the land from the Municipality of Bærum. Construction was to serve as work creation for the unemployed, and workers were selected based on how long they had been unemployed and the number of people in their family. Because the need for workplaces was greatest in the winter, most of the construction was done during the winters of 1935, 1936 and 1937. Not until 1937 was a normal 48-hour week throughout the year introduced. 1000000 cubic metres (35,314,666.2 cu ft) of rock was blasted and, along with garbage from Oslo, used to fill inn the swamps and depressions. Because of the delays, plans were changed and three runways were built, two 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) long and one 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) long. The airport was equipped with a control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
, administration building, a hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
with a workshop and a service building. Docks for sea planes were constructed about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) to the south, on the east shore of the peninsula.
In 1934, there were three domestic airlines in Norway: Det Norske Luftfartsselskap (DNL), Norske Luftruter and Widerøe's Flyveselskap
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
. All three applied to the state for subsidies to operate routes. DNL applied for a ten-year concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
with a annual subsidy to fly Oslo–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...
–Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, continuing northwards to Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
. Widerøe applied for NOK 265,000 per year for a three-year concession for the sea plane routes Oslo–Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
and Bergen–Trondheim. Norske Luftruter applied for NOK 250,000 per year for a route from Bergen 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...
via Kristiansand and Oslo. The following year, parliament passed a long-term plan for construction of airports, which would be located in Oslo, 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:...
, Kristiansand, 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...
, Bergen, Ålesund and Trondheim. In each case, the municipalities would have to purchase land and build the airport, but the state would reimburse 50% of the investments. Due to the high cost burden on the municipalities, only 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...
and Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
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...
were operational by the time Fornebu opened.
Opening and war
The first airplane to land at Fornebu was a Junkers Ju 52Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
, operated by Lufthansa, in September 1938. The plane had flown a scheduled route to Kjeller, and the captain had taken the plane onward to Fornebu to try out the new airport. On 16 April 1939, the seaplane section was taken into regular use. The first plane was a Ju 52 operated by DNL to Copenhagen. The official opening took place on 1 June 1939. The first plane to land after the official opening was a Douglas DC-2
Douglas DC-2
The Douglas DC-2 was a 14-seat, twin-engine airliner produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247...
operated by KLM from Amsterdam. The first departure was provided by the Danish airline Det Danske Luftfartsselskab, when a Focke-Wulf Fw 200
Focke-Wulf Fw 200
The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, also known as Kurier to the Allies was a German all-metal four-engine monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a long-range airliner...
took off to Copenhagen. The captain made a mistake, and took off from the parking space instead of the runway. In addition to these two routes, Luft Hansa started flights to Germany and DNL's route to Amsterdam. During the fall, a DNL also flew from Perth, Scotland
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, via Oslo to Stockholm, but this route was soon canceled.
As part of the invasion of Norway by Nazi Germany
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...
on 9 April 1940, German 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....
-aircraft landed at Fornebu. There was no attempt by the civilian airport authorities to hinder this, such as driving cars onto the runway, although several German aircraft collided with each other during the landing. A KLM aircraft had a scheduled service that morning, and the captain was ordered to leave the passengers, take the crew and return to Oslo. On 12 April, the airport was bombed by the British Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The 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...
. On 14 April, the KLM captain was granted permission to fly back to Amsterdam with the crew, albeit without any passengers. The German military used Fornebu heavily during the war, but it was never of any strategic importance, since it was located far from any battle zones. During the war, the airport officially remained owned by the municipality. By orders of the German authorities, the main north–south runway was expanded to 1200 metres (3,937 ft), and all facilities not yet built were completed. However, during the war all other runways than the main north–south were taken out of use. At the north end of the runway, the Luftwaffe built several hangars and a prison camp. Prisoners were used to keep the runways free of snow during winter, by marching along them and stomping the snow down.
In May 1945, as German forces were ousted from Norway, the airport was taken over by the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
and 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...
. None of the civilian airlines were in operation, and the Air Force started flying commercial flights. In addition to previous lines, a route was started to Northern Norway, although it had to be terminated for the winter. Due to the lack of qualified personnel, the international services had to be terminated as well. In early 1946, management of the airport was transferred back to the municipality. Due to the technological development of aviation during the war, the runway needed to be expanded. The 1200 metres (3,937 ft) runway was sufficient for 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...
aircraft, but insufficient for the larger Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
planes. The latter were all used by American Overseas Airways, DNL's North America routes and British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
' route to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which were all transferred to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.
Expansion
On 1 November 1947, Norsk SpisevognselskapNorsk Spisevognselskap
Norsk Spisevognselskap A/S, often abbreviated NSS or shortened to Spisevognselskapet, was a Norwegian state enterprise which operated restaurant carriages on Norwegian trains and restaurants at train stations and railway hotels. The company was established in December 1918, and started a catering...
established a restaurant at the airport. In 1946, DNL launched plans to expand the north–south runway to 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) by taking into use the whole peninsula. In addition, they wanted a second east–west runway to be built. The state took over ownership of the airport—without compensation—in 1946, albeit with the clause that if the airport ever should close, the real estate should be returned to the municipality. Stavanger Airport had been a candidate for intercontinental travel, but a state committee in 1949 decided that instead this should be shared between Fornebu and Gardermoen. Another committee was established in 1948, and in 1950 it recommended that all airport services in the Oslo region should be concentrated at Gardermoen, and that a new motorway be built to the airport. Among politicians and planners, there were two main ideologies: The first, which dominated in political circles, stated that Fornebu's close proximity to the city center was a key to reaching a market in Oslo and for the growth of the airlines. The second emphasized that, in the long run, Fornebu could not fulfill the requirements of a central airport, and that a better location should be established.
Following the political processes, the north–south runway was extended to 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft). With the completion of this, intercontinental traffic was moved from Gardermoen to Fornebu. In 1946, Overseas Scandinavian Airlines System had been established between DNL, DDL and the Swedish Aerotransport. The same year, shipowner Ludvig G. Braathen
Ludvig 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:...
established Braathens South American and Far East (Braathens SAFE), which started with charter flights using DC-4s. The first civilian route was operated by KLM, who started the route Oslo–Kristiansand–Amsterdam in March 1946. From 1 April, DNL operated a route to Copenhagen, followed a week later with the route via Stavanger to London, using DC-3s. The third DNL route was to Stockholm using Ju 52s, and the fourth via 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...
and Copenhagen to Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and Marseilles. In May, DNL started routes to Trondheim and Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
, and later onwards to Kirkenes
Kirkenes
is a town in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the county of Finnmark in the far northeast of Norway...
. It also started a direct service to Copenhagen. In October, routes were established via Kristiansand to Amsterdam, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Finally, a route was started via Copenhagen to Praha and to Stavanger. In 1946, DNL had 47,000 passengers (although not all flew through Fornebu). The company operated six DC-3s and five Ju 52s.
In 1947, Icelandair
Icelandair
Icelandair ehf is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, based on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík. It is part of the Icelandair Group and currently operates scheduled services to 31 cities in 13 countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean out of its hub at Keflavík International Airport...
started flights to Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
and the same year British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
transferred its London route from Gardermoen to Fornebu. DNL bought three Short Sandringham
Short Sandringham
- External links :* -See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Jackson, A.J British Civil Aircraft since 1919 - Volume Three. London: Putnam & Company Ltd, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10014-X....
seaplanes which were put into service along the coast as the "Flying Coastal Express". They remained in service from 1947 until May 1950, but proved expensive in operation. In 1949, Braathens SAFE introduced scheduled flights from Fornebu using DC-3s; it had long-haul flights to the Far East, with stops in Amsterdam, Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Bombay, Calcutta and Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
before arriving in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Following the establishment of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) in 1949, all international concessions were transferred to that company, and Braathens SAFE started domestic services, although they kept their existing concessions on international routes until 1954.
Braathens SAFE's first domestic service was via Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg
Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg
Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg , sometimes called Jarlsberg Airport is located in Tønsberg, Norway.Jarlsberg airport was founded in 1937, and has since then been used for private, commercial and military operations...
to Stavanger, and later a route to Trondheim. These were both operated with Heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
aircraft. At first the Trondheim route was flown to Lade, but were quickly transferred to the current 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,...
. Loftleidir started flights to Reykjavík in 1952.
In 1953, work started with expanding the north–south runway to 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft) and building a new east–west runway which also was to become 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft). The same year a new commission was established, which in 1957 recommended that the east–west runway be expanded to 3300 metres (10,826.8 ft) and the north–south runway to 2150 metres (7,053.8 ft). Local residents and politicians were opposed to the expansion plans, and Akershus County Council
Akershus county municipality
Akershus County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Akershus, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 35 upper secondary schools...
voted against them. The ministry then chose to expand the east–west runway to only 2200 metres (7,217.8 ft) and leave the north–south runway untouched. The plans would allow the east–west runway to be expanded to 2800 metres (9,186.4 ft) in the future, if necessary. The north–south runway had difficult landing conditions, in part because of the residential areas north of the line. From 1959, the ministry denied jet aircraft
Jet 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...
from using the then longer runway. In the 1950s, SAS started using Convair 440s, while Braathens SAFE took into use Fokker F-27s. Both companies later also took into use 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...
s.
In 1952, SAS started flights to 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...
and in 1955 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 1955, Braathens SAFE also started flights to Kristiansand and Farsund Airport, Lista
Farsund Airport, Lista
Farsund Airport, Lista , is a now closed former public and military aerodrome located in Farsund, Norway. Until 1996 is was also the Royal Norwegian Air Force Lista Air Station, and until 2002 it was part of Luftfartsverket...
, and the following year at Notodden Airport, Tuven
Notodden Airport, Tuven
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,...
, all en-route to Stavanger. That year also saw some of their Trondheim flights land at Hamar Airport, and in 1957 at Røros Airport
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...
. In 1958, Ålesund Airport, Vigra
Ålesund Airport, Vigra
Ålesund Airport, Vigra is an airport which serves the city of Ålesund in Norway and the surrounding regions Sunnmøre, Nordfjord and Romsdal. The airport is located on the island of Vigra in the Giske municipality, northeast of Ålesund city centre and easily accessible through underseas tunnels...
was opened and became served by Braathens SAFE. The Røros stops were terminated in 1958, but reinstated in 1963 after the runway had been extended. The Hamar stops were permanently terminated in 1959.
In 1960, Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
started flying to Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, although direct flights were not introduced until 1971. After 1962, the east–west runway became the main runway. Along with the runway expansion, a new service building, with a capacity for 2 million passengers, was opened in 1964. It was located about half a kilometer (quarter of a mile) south of the former terminal. Designed by Odd Nansens Arkitektkontor
Odd Nansen
Odd Nansen was a Norwegian architect, author, and humanitarian, credited with his humanitarian efforts on behalf of Jews in the early years of World War II and for being a founder of UNICEF.-Biography:...
, it had two stories, one for arrivals and one for departures, and two wings, one for domestic and one for international flights. It included a central hall that had a panorama view over the aircraft. The expanded allowed SAS to take into use the Sud Aviation Caravelle
Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with...
jets on the Copenhagen routes, although they were also occasionally used to Bodø.
Cramped quarters
Three airports were opened in FinnmarkFinnmark
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...
in 1963, all served by SAS: Alta Airport
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...
, 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...
and Lakselv Airport, Banak
Lakselv Airport, Banak
Lakselv Airport, Banak is located 1,5 km from the town of Lakselv in the municipality of Porsanger in Finnmark county, in northern Norway. The airport also serves Karasjok, some 74 km to the south, with a corresponding airport coach six days a week...
. The following year, SAS also started flights to Tromsø Airport. In 1966, Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
started flights to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, and later also introduced departures to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Frankfurt and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. During the 1960s, SAS introduced Caravelles on most of the domestic routes.
During the 1970s, Douglas DC-7
Douglas DC-7
The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. It was the last major piston engine powered transport made by Douglas, coming just a few years before the advent of jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8.-Design and...
s were also taken into use. Pan American
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
had flights to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from 1967 to 1973 and from 1976 to 1978. Braathens SAFE started taking delivery of Boeing 737-200s and Fokker F-28s in 1969, and these gradually took over most of the domestic routes. In 1970, Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
and Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
started flying to Fornebu from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, respectively. They were supplemented by Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
's Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
route in 1972.
In 1971, a state committee recommended that Gardermoen be expanded to take a larger share of the traffic from Fornebu. At the same time, a new main airport was eventually to be built at Hobøl
Hobøl
Hobøl is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Elvestad. Hobøl is situated about southeast of Oslo. The parish of Haabøl was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .The largest village in Hobøl is Tomter, whose train...
. From 1971, charter flights were moved to Gardermoen, although SAS and Braathens SAFE were granted dispensation so they only needed to serve one Oslo airport. On 1 July 1971, Widerøe also started serving domestic routes to Fornebu, with the opening of regional airport 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....
. These routes were served using de Havilland Canada Twin Otter and later de Havilland Canada 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...
aircraft, although regular services to all airports were not introduced until the late 1970s, with the introduction of the Dash 7. The last four primary airports were opened during the 1970s. Braathens SAFE started flights 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...
in 1972, Molde Airport, Årø
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...
in 1972 and 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...
in 1973. In 1975, SAS started flights to Haugesund Airport, Karmøy
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....
.
During the 1980s, the airport was again deemed too small. In 1983, also charter flights operated by SAS and Braathens were forced to move to Gardermoen. Additional foreign services were introduced, namely Sabena
Sabena
SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines...
to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1985, Dan-Air
Dan-Air
Dan-Air was a leading private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline based in the United Kingdom....
to London-Gatwick and Newcastle in 1986 and Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in 1988. During a period of reconstruction at Gardermoen, Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
also served Fornebu, and the same year Pan American reintroduced its route to New York. Air Europe
Air Europe
Air Europe was a wholly privately owned, independentindependent from government-owned corporations British airline, established in 1978 under the working title Inter European Airways. It adopted the Air Europe name the following year...
also started to fly from London-Gatwick to Fornebu. An additional story was added to the service building, allowing office space to be moved there and free up space for check-in and traveler service on the two main stories. Two satellites were built for the domestic terminal, one each for Braathens SAFE and SAS, allowing increased waiting area for travelers. The international terminal was expanded with a five-gate pier with jetbridges. A multi-story parking house was also built.
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...
started serving Fornebu following the opening of Fagernes Airport, Leirin
Fagernes Airport, Leirin
Fagernes Airport, Leirin serves Fagernes and the surrounding valleys of Valdres, Hallingdal and Gudbrandsdal in Southern Norway, from Oslo. Opened in 1987, it is owned and operated by state-owned Avinor. The airport is above sea level, and has a runway...
in 1987. The route was closed within a year, but taken up again by Coast Air
Coast Air
Coast Air AS was a regional airline based at Haugesund Airport, Karmøy in Norway. It was Norway's fourth-largest airline and operated domestic services within Norway, in addition to international services. Routes were concentrated along the West Coast, as well as some public service obligation...
in 1990. From 1996, the route was taken over by Teddy Air
Teddy Air
Teddy Air AS was a regional airline, based at Skien Airport, Geiteryggen, in Norway. Operating between 1989 and 2004, the company operated Britten-Norman Islander, Embraer 110 and Saab 340 aircraft. The company started by providing a scheduled service between Skien and Oslo in 1990, followed by...
.
In 1989, Braathens SAFE started its first international scheduled service since 1960, from Fornebu to Billund
Billund, Denmark
Billund is the second largest town in Billund Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark with a population of 6,139 .-Overview:...
in Denmark. Two years later, the company started flying to Newcastle, after Dan-Air had withdrawn from the route, and to Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
in Sweden. That year also saw the start of Norway Airlines
Norway Airlines
Norway Airlines was a Norwegian airline based in Oslo, Norway. The airline was established in 1987, with its first route from Oslo Airport, Fornebu, to London Gatwick...
, who started a base at Fornebu and offered flights to London-Gatwick, as well as to Stockholm, in cooperation with Transwede, and to Copenhagen, in cooperation with Sterling
Sterling Airlines
Sterling Airlines A/S was a low-cost airline with its head office at Copenhagen Airport South in Dragør, Dragør Municipality, Denmark. It was created in September 2005 through the merger of two Danish airlines — Sterling European Airlines and Maersk Air — which had been bought by the Icelandic...
. In 1992, both Norway Airlines and Dan-Air went bankrupt, and Braathens SAFE started flights to London-Gatwick. They terminated the Malmö route in 1994. After the deregulation, Braathens SAFE also introduced flights to Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Stockholm. Widerøe introduced international services 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...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
In 1994, the domestic and international flights to the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
were deregulated, and the number of international services increased and Fornebu received airlines such as Air Malta
Air Malta
Air Malta plc is the national airline of Malta, headquartered in Luqa. It operates services to 36 destinations in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The airline's hub and base is at Malta International Airport.- History :...
, Air Portugal, AirUK
AirUK
Air UK was a wholly privately owned, independentindependent from government-owned corporations regional British airline formed in 1980 as a result of a merger involving four rival UK-based regional airlines. British and Commonwealth -owned British Island Airways and Air Anglia were the two...
and LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,...
. Other airlines to fly from Fornebu during the 1980s and 1990s includes Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, Northwest Orient and Tower Air
Tower Air
Tower Air was a certificated FAR 121 schedule and charter U.S. airline that operated from 1983 until 2000, when the company declared bankruptcy and was liquidated. Scheduled flights were initially offered over a New York - Brussels - Tel Aviv route in addition to charter flights to Athens,...
. Domestically, Braathens SAFE introduced flights to Bergen, Bodø, Harstad/Narvik and Tromsø.
Closing
During the 1960s, a political debate started concerning if there should be built a new main airport for Oslo and Eastern Norway. A government report launched in 1970, suggested surveys for five locations: Gardermoen, HurumHurum
Hurum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village Klokkarstua. The municipality of Hurum was established on 1 January 1838 . The small village of Holmsbu was granted town status in 1847, but it did not become a municipality of its own...
, Askim
Askim
is a town and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Askim. Askim was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
, Nesodden
Nesodden
Nesodden is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesoddtangen. The parish of Næsodden was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
and Ås
Ås
Ås is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Follo traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ås...
. Hobøl was preliminarily selected and areas reserved for a future airport. During the 1970s, the Labor Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
became concerned that Hobøl was located too centrally in relation to the growth areas around Oslo, and instead wanted to use Gardermoen, in an attempt to force the population growth further north. Commercial interests and the airlines supported Hobøl. In 1983, Parliament decided to abandon the plans for Hobøl and continue with a divided solution. Fornebu would be expanded, and all charter traffic be moved to Gardermoen. From 1988, all international traffic would also be moved, making Fornebu a pure domestic airport.
Increased traffic in the mid-1980s changed the politician's interests, and in 1988 Parliament voted to build a new main airport at Hurum, located on the same side of Oslo as Fornebu, but further away. However, new weather data showed that Hurum was unsuitable, and the location was discarded. There were accusations that the data was fabricated to manipulate the political decision. In 1992, parliament made a final vote that started construction of a new airport at Gardermoen and Fornebu would be closed.
Financing of the airport at Gardermoen would be done through a state loan issued to a limited company owned by the Civil Airport Administration. This company would build and operate Gardermoen, but from 1 January 1997 it also took over operation of Fornebu. After the last plane took off from Fornebu on 7 October 1998, 300 people spent the night to transport 500 truckloads of equipment from Fornebu to Gardermoen. The new Oslo Airport, Gardermoen opened on the morning of 8 October 1998.
Some locals wanted to keep Fornebu as a regional airport for the Oslo and Bærum area. The proposal was launched involved keeping part of the runway and terminals and allowing aircraft such as Dash 8, Fokker 50 and British Aerospace 146 to use the airport. Proponents argued that a similar role was used for Stockholm-Bromma Airport
Stockholm-Bromma Airport
Stockholm-Bromma Airport is an airport in Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm-Bromma Airport is located west northwest of downtown Stockholm and is the closest to the city...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Midway Airport
Midway Airport
Chicago Midway International Airport , also known simply as Midway Airport or Midway, is an airport in Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's southwest side, eight miles from Chicago's Loop...
.
The opening of Gardermoen had strategic impact on aviation in Norway. Despite the deregulation of the market in 1994, the lack of free slots at Fornebu made it impossible to have free competition, since no new airlines could establish themselves and no new international airlines could fly to Fornebu. Gardermoen allowed this to happen, and from 1 August 1998, Color Air
Color Air
Color Air AS was the first Norwegian low-cost airline. It operated from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen in 1998 and 1999 with a fleet of three Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Color Air was a brand extension of Color Line, which shared a common owner in the Olav Nils Sunde-controlled Color Group...
started with flights from Oslo, pressing down prices on domestic routes. Although the airline went bankrupt the following year, the losses for Braathens were so high that they were taken over by SAS. The gap was then filled 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...
.
Accidents and incidents
- On 26 May 1946, a DNL Junkers Ju 52 en route to Stockholm crashed into the houses at Halden Terrasse after take-off, due to a technical error on the aircraft. All people on board were killed, but no-one on the ground.
- In 1949, a Dutch DC-3 crashed in Hurum while approaching Fornebu. All but one of the passengers, plus all the crew, died.
- On 14 April 1963, Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
TF-ISU Hrímfaxi of Icelandair Flugfélag IslandsIcelandairIcelandair ehf is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, based on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík. It is part of the Icelandair Group and currently operates scheduled services to 31 cities in 13 countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean out of its hub at Keflavík International Airport...
crashed at Nesøya on approach to Fornebu. All 12 people on board were killed. - On 23 December 1972, Braathens SAFE Flight 239, with a Fokker F-28 from Ålesund to Oslo, crashed in Asker during approach to Fornebu. Forty people were killed, while five people survived. This was the first-ever fatal accident with a F-28, and until 1989 the deadliest air accident in NorwayPartnair Flight 394Partnair Flight 394 was a chartered flight which crashed on 8 September 1989 off the coast of Denmark 18 km north of Hirtshals. All 50 passengers and 5 crew members on board the aircraft perished, making it the deadliest civilian aviation accident involving an all-Norwegian airline company. It...
. - Braathens SAFE Flight 139Braathens SAFE Flight 139Braathen SAFE Flight 139 was an aircraft hijacking that occurred in Norway on 21 June 1985. The incident took place on a Boeing 737-205 belonging to Braathens SAFE that was on a scheduled flight from Trondheim Airport, Værnes to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. The hijacker was Stein Arvid Huseby, who was...
occurred on 21 June 1985, when a Boeing 737-200 from Braathens SAFE on route from Trondheim Airport, Værnes to Fornebu was hijackedAircraft hijackingAircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
by a drunk student who demanded to talk to the prime minister and minister of justice. The plane landed at Fornebu, and the hijacker eventually surrendered his gun in exchange for more beer. No-one was injured in the incident.