Værøy Airport
Encyclopedia
Værøy Airport is a closed regional airport on the island of Værøy
in Norway. It was used between 1986 and 1990 and was operated by the Municipality of Værøy. It was plagued with low regularity caused by difficult wind conditions. Following the fatal Widerøe Flight 839
accident, the airport was closed and replaced by Værøy Heliport
. The airport was served by twelve weekly services to Bodø
and Røst
by Widerøe
, who used de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
aircraft.
s and Norseman aircraft. In 1972, the government wanted to start a helicopter service from Bodø Airport
to Værøy and Røst
—the island community further out from Værøy. Widerøe was granted the concession, but they did not want to operate helicopters, so they subcontracted it to Helilift. The service operated twice per day on weekdays and once per day in the weekends. The service was provided using two sixteen-seat Sikorsky S-58Ts. In 1973, was granted in subsidies for the route, and the service transported 5,359 passengers (from both Røst and Værøy). In December 1976, one of the helicopters was bought by Widerøe and operations subcontracted to Offshore Helicopters. The second Sikorsky was bought from Helilift in March 1978 and also operated by Offshore Helicopters. In 1980, Helikopter Service merged with Offshore Helicopters, and the new Helikopter Service took over the route. From 1 January 1982, Helikopter Service started operating an eleven-seat Bell 212 helicopters because the Sikorskys cost too much to maintain. In 1982, the service to both islands transport 7,145 passengers and 3 tonnes (3 LT) of post and cargo, and made 744 landings. It received subsidies for NOK 4 million.
Plans for an airport with short take-off and landing
flights was launched by the government in December 1983. The airport was proposed along with five other regional airports: Fagernes Airport, Leirin
, Førde Airport, Bringeland
, Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad
, Rørvik Airport, Ryum
and Røst Airport
. Construction was approved by the Parliament of Norway on 10 April 1984 and construction started in 1985. On 22 August 1985, the municipality was granted concession to operate the airport.
Nordlandet, on the north side of the island, was chosen as the location of the airport. It is located on level section of land; just south of the runway is the 465 metres (1,525.6 ft) tall mountain Teisthammeren. During the preliminary studies, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute
had made a favorable report about the weather in the area, but there had not been conducted sufficient test flights to establish the wind conditions above the airport caused by Teisthammeren. Widerøe was opposed to that location of the airport. On 1 June 1986, Værøy and Røst Airports were opened, after NOK 15 million had been spent on constructing Værøy Airport. It has a 800 by runway with instrument landing system
and a terminal building with a café. The airport was connected to the rest of the island with a dirt road.
Værøy Airport was plagued with bad wind conditions and low regularity. The airport had the highest number of cancellations in the country, with 31 of 609 flights canceled in the first eleven months of operation. During some periods, regularity was as low as 50%. In 1989, the instrument landing system was moved to increase safety, more runway lights were installed and a wind measurer was installed on the mountain, costing NOK 1 million. From 31 October 1988, Widerøe introduced self-imposed restrictions on landing at Værøy. Aircraft were not allowed to land or take off if the wind came from 090°–240° (though south) if the wind speed exceeded 20 knots (10.9 m/s), including gusts. Additional restriction were introduced following an incident on 18 January 1989. These were again modified on 1 November 1989.
On 12 April 1990, Widerøe Flight 839
crashed one minute after take-off, killing all five on board. The cause of the accident was the turbulence and high wind speeds around the airport. The airport was immediately closed after the incident; no public flights have taken off from the Airport after Flight 839. Private flights still use the airport on occasion. In 1992, the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
decided to permanently close the airport, after it had been temporarily closed since the accident. In 1995, Værøy Heliport
was opened further south on the island, and Helikopter Service was awarded the public service obligation
to operate the route. The helicopter service sometimes uses the closed airport as a reserve airport during bad weather.
before returning to Bodø. The service was subsidized by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
.
Værøy
Værøy is an island and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørland. Værøy was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
in Norway. It was used between 1986 and 1990 and was operated by the Municipality of Værøy. It was plagued with low regularity caused by difficult wind conditions. Following the fatal Widerøe Flight 839
Widerøe Flight 839
Widerøe Flight 839, also known as the Værøy Accident , was a crash into water of a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter just after take-off from Værøy Airport in Norway. The incident occurred on 12 April 1990 at 14:44, and killed all five people on board...
accident, the airport was closed and replaced by Værøy Heliport
Værøy Heliport
Værøy Heliport is a heliport on the island of Værøy in Nordland county in Norway. The airport had 8,372 passengers in 2005....
. The airport was served by twelve weekly services to Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
and Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
by Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
, who used de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
aircraft.
History
Services to Værøy started in the mid 1960s, when Widerøe started sea plane services to the island using de Havilland Canada DHC-3 OtterDe Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, but was overall a larger aircraft.-Design and...
s and Norseman aircraft. In 1972, the government wanted to start a helicopter service from 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...
to Værøy and Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
—the island community further out from Værøy. Widerøe was granted the concession, but they did not want to operate helicopters, so they subcontracted it to Helilift. The service operated twice per day on weekdays and once per day in the weekends. The service was provided using two sixteen-seat Sikorsky S-58Ts. In 1973, was granted in subsidies for the route, and the service transported 5,359 passengers (from both Røst and Værøy). In December 1976, one of the helicopters was bought by Widerøe and operations subcontracted to Offshore Helicopters. The second Sikorsky was bought from Helilift in March 1978 and also operated by Offshore Helicopters. In 1980, Helikopter Service merged with Offshore Helicopters, and the new Helikopter Service took over the route. From 1 January 1982, Helikopter Service started operating an eleven-seat Bell 212 helicopters because the Sikorskys cost too much to maintain. In 1982, the service to both islands transport 7,145 passengers and 3 tonnes (3 LT) of post and cargo, and made 744 landings. It received subsidies for NOK 4 million.
Plans for an airport with short take-off and landing
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
flights was launched by the government in December 1983. The airport was proposed along with five other regional airports: 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...
, Førde Airport, Bringeland
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....
, Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad
Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad
Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad is a regional airport serving Mosjøen in Nordland, Norway. In 2007 Mosjøen Airport had 76,294 passengers. It is owned and operated by the state owned Avinor.-Service:...
, Rørvik Airport, Ryum
Rørvik Airport, Ryum
Rørvik Airport, Ryum is a regional airport operated by Avinor that serves the municipalities of Vikna and Nærøy in the northwestern part of Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located south of the village of Rørvik and about west of the town of Kolvereid in Nærøy...
and Røst Airport
Røst Airport
Røst Airport is a regional airport serving the island and municipality of Røst in Nordland, Norway. It is owned and operated by Avinor. Services are provided by Widerøe, operating de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 aircraft on contract with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Services...
. Construction was approved by the Parliament of Norway on 10 April 1984 and construction started in 1985. On 22 August 1985, the municipality was granted concession to operate the airport.
Nordlandet, on the north side of the island, was chosen as the location of the airport. It is located on level section of land; just south of the runway is the 465 metres (1,525.6 ft) tall mountain Teisthammeren. During the preliminary studies, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Norwegian Meteorological Institute is the Norwegian national institute for weather forecasts.The three main offices are located in Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø. The Institute has around 500 employees and keeps around 650 paid observers of various kinds around the country...
had made a favorable report about the weather in the area, but there had not been conducted sufficient test flights to establish the wind conditions above the airport caused by Teisthammeren. Widerøe was opposed to that location of the airport. On 1 June 1986, Værøy and Røst Airports were opened, after NOK 15 million had been spent on constructing Værøy Airport. It has a 800 by runway with instrument landing system
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
and a terminal building with a café. The airport was connected to the rest of the island with a dirt road.
Værøy Airport was plagued with bad wind conditions and low regularity. The airport had the highest number of cancellations in the country, with 31 of 609 flights canceled in the first eleven months of operation. During some periods, regularity was as low as 50%. In 1989, the instrument landing system was moved to increase safety, more runway lights were installed and a wind measurer was installed on the mountain, costing NOK 1 million. From 31 October 1988, Widerøe introduced self-imposed restrictions on landing at Værøy. Aircraft were not allowed to land or take off if the wind came from 090°–240° (though south) if the wind speed exceeded 20 knots (10.9 m/s), including gusts. Additional restriction were introduced following an incident on 18 January 1989. These were again modified on 1 November 1989.
On 12 April 1990, Widerøe Flight 839
Widerøe Flight 839
Widerøe Flight 839, also known as the Værøy Accident , was a crash into water of a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter just after take-off from Værøy Airport in Norway. The incident occurred on 12 April 1990 at 14:44, and killed all five people on board...
crashed one minute after take-off, killing all five on board. The cause of the accident was the turbulence and high wind speeds around the airport. The airport was immediately closed after the incident; no public flights have taken off from the Airport after Flight 839. Private flights still use the airport on occasion. In 1992, the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Transportation and Communications is a Norwegian ministry established in 1946, and is responsible for transportation and communication infrastructure in Norway. It is led by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa...
decided to permanently close the airport, after it had been temporarily closed since the accident. In 1995, Værøy Heliport
Værøy Heliport
Værøy Heliport is a heliport on the island of Værøy in Nordland county in Norway. The airport had 8,372 passengers in 2005....
was opened further south on the island, and Helikopter Service was awarded the public service obligation
Public Service Obligation
In transport, public service obligation or PSO is an arrangement in which a governing body or other authority offers an auction for subsidies, permit the winning company a monopoly to operate a specified service of public transport for a specified period of time for the given subsidy...
to operate the route. The helicopter service sometimes uses the closed airport as a reserve airport during bad weather.
Airlines and destinations
The airport was served by Widerøe using de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters. The airline operated two trips Bodø–Røst–Værøy–Bodø on weekdays and one round trip during the weekend. In addition, there were two weekly trips that connected Værøy to Leknes AirportLeknes Airport
Leknes Airport is a regional airport serving Leknes in Lofoten, Nordland, Norway. In 2005 Leknes Airport had 74,572 passengers. It is operated by Avinor.-Service:...
before returning to Bodø. The service was subsidized by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Transportation and Communications is a Norwegian ministry established in 1946, and is responsible for transportation and communication infrastructure in Norway. It is led by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa...
.
Accidents and incidents
- On 19 January 1989, a Widerøe Twin Otter became uncontrollable due to turbulence during final approachFinal approach (aviation)A final approach is the last leg in an aircraft's approach to landing. In aviation radio terminology, it is often shortened to "final".In a standard airport landing pattern, which is usually used under visual meteorological conditions , aircraft turn from base leg to final within one to two miles...
to Værøy. Control was regained when there was 80 metres (262.5 ft) height above the sea. This incident caused the airport to be temporarily closed. - On 12 April 1990, Widerøe Flight 839Widerøe Flight 839Widerøe Flight 839, also known as the Værøy Accident , was a crash into water of a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter just after take-off from Værøy Airport in Norway. The incident occurred on 12 April 1990 at 14:44, and killed all five people on board...
crashed one minute after take-off, killing all five on board. It was caused by high wind speeds, in excess of the construction dimensions, cracking the tail rudder and vertical stabilizer, crashing the plane in the sea after eight seconds.