Hans Christian Andersen Airport ( da, Odense Lufthavn, also often referred to as ) is a small airport serving the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

city of

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

. It is located in the village of Beldringe, some 9 km north-northwest of the city. The airport is named after

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

, a renowned Danish author who was born in Odense.

History

The airstrip was constructed for military purposes in the early 1940s during the German

occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December ...

. Passenger numbers from the airport fell significantly after the

Great Belt Fixed Link The Great Belt Bridge ( da, Storebæltsbroen) or Great Belt fixed link ( da, Storebæltsforbindelsen) is a multi-element fixed link crossing the Great Belt strait between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen. It consists of a road suspension ...

was opened in 1998, and today there are no longer any commercial flights between Odense and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. Government operations of the airport were suspended in 1998, and operations were continued as a

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...

operated by

Funen County Funen County ( da, Fyns Amt) is a former county (Danish: ''amt'') in central Denmark, comprising the islands of Funen, Langeland, Tåsinge, Ærø, and approximately 90 other islands, of which only 25 are inhabited. The county was formed on 1 Apri ...

and the

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Bogense Bogense () is a town in central Denmark, located on Funen in Nordfyn municipality, Region of Southern Denmark. The town has a population of 4,059 (1 January 2022). With its half-timbered houses, narrow streets and large marina, it is a popular t ...

Munkebo Munkebo is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality in the Region of Southern Denmark on the island of Funen. It was also the site of the municipal council of the abolished Munkebo Municipality. The town had a population of 5 ...

Søndersø Søndersø is a town in central Denmark with a population of 3,319 (1 January 2022), located in Nordfyn municipality on the island of Funen. Business The town is home to the following companies: * KiMs * Heljan A/S * Tinby A/S * MT Miljøteknik ...

, and

Otterup Otterup is a town in central Denmark, located in Nordfyn municipality on the island of Funen with a population of 5,269 (1 January 2022). Between 1889 and 1994 the Schultz & Larsen rifle factory was working from this small town. Notable peop ...

. Effective 1 January 2007, the airport is owned by Odense (84.38%), Nordfyn (12.94%) and

Kerteminde Kerteminde (nickname: ''Min Amandas by'', i.e. ''My Amanda's town''), is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 6,042 (1 January 2022).

municipalities (2.68%).Minutes from the Economic Committee of Odense City Council, 7 June 2006
In 2000, a joint venture was established with Plane Station Denmark A/S for operating the facility. The arrangement was later terminated with politicians citing the low number of flights from the facility, and operations were resumed by the county and municipalities. In 2006, flights commenced between Odense and northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and in 2007, a route operated from Odense to

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. There were also flights to Burgas but these were cancelled by

Hemus Air Hemus Air (Bulgarian title: Хемус Ер) was an airline based in Sofia, Bulgaria. It operated scheduled domestic and international services from Sofia and Varna, as well as charter, cargo and air ambulance services. Its main base was Sofia Airp ...

citing that the runway was too short. Tyrkiet Eksperten cancelled a scheduled route to Turkey citing the same concern. In 2007, the runway was extended to 2,000 meters. In 2008, Falk Lauritsen & Apollo Rejser started weekly summer flights to

Chania Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion. The muni ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

with an

Airbus A320-200 Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

from

Iberworld Orbest Orizonia Airlines, S.A., formerly ''Iberworld Airlines, S.A.'', was an airline with its head office in the ''Edificio Orizionia Corporación'' in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. It operated regular and charter flights to destinations in Europ ...

and Gislev Rejser replaced the Nîmes flight with a route to

Béziers Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...

, France.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at the airport:hca-airport.dk - Destinations
retrieved 6 September 2020

Statistics

References

* AIP Denmark
Odense - EKOD
* VFR Flight Guide Denmark
Odense - EKOD
*''Most of this article is based on the corresponding article on the Danish Wikipedia, accessed on 30 May 2006.''

External links

* {{authority control Airports in Denmark Buildings and structures in Odense 1940s establishments in Denmark Year of establishment missing Transport in Odense International airports in Denmark

History

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

See also

References

External links