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Sogndal Airport ( no, Sogndal lufthavn; ) is a regional airport serving
Sogndal Municipality Sogndal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansv ...
and the surrounding area in
Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. It is situated at Haukåsen, from
Kaupanger Kaupanger is a village situated along the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the municipality of Sogndal in Vestland county, Norway. It sits along the Norwegian National Road 5, about southeast of the municipal centre of Sogndalsfjøra and a ...
and from
Sogndalsfjøra Sogndalsfjøra is a village in the municipality of Sogndal in Vestland county, Norway. It is located where the river Sogndalselvi runs out in the Sogndalsfjorden, a branch of the large Sognefjorden. The village is located about northwest of the v ...
. It serves the whole
Sogn Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ''(Vestlandet)''. It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...
district. The airport consists of a runway aligned 06/24. Services are provided by
Widerøe Widerøes Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a Norwegian airline, and is the largest regional airline operating in the Nordic countries. The airline's fleet of 40 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft, and 3 Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, serves over 40 d ...
on public service obligation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The airport is owned and operated by the state-owned
Avinor Avinor AS is a state-owned limited company that operates most of the civil airports in Norway. The Norwegian state, via the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, controls 100 percent of the share capital. Avinor was created on 1 ...
and served 70,244 passengers in 2014. The airport opened on 1 July 1971 along with three other regional airports in
Sogn og Fjordane Sogn og Fjordane (; English: "Sogn and Fjordane") was, up to 1 January 2020, a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the cou ...
and
Sunnmøre Sunnmøre (, en, South- Møre) is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities ( no, kommuner) of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal ...
. These were at first connected to
Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
and
Ålesund Ålesund () sometimes spelled Aalesund in English, is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrative ...
using the
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...
. From the 1980s the airport was upgraded and
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, short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent comp ...
started being used, allowing all-year services to
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
.


History

A government commission, led by
Erik Himle Erik Himle (10 April 1924 – 30 July 2008) was a Norwegian civil servant and politician for the Labour Party. Himle graduated with the cand.oecon. degree in 1948, and from the NATO Defence College in 1957. He was never elected as a politician, ...
and later
Preben Munthe Preben Hempel Munthe (15 October 1922 – 3 January 2013) was a Norwegian economist. He was born in Aker, the son of librarian Wilhelm Munthe (1883–1965) and his wife Jenny Hempel (1882–1975). Gerhard Munthe was his elder brother. The younger ...
, was appointed in 1962 to consider additional airports in Norway. The
Sud Aviation Caravelle The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation. It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s and made its maiden flight on 27 May 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for t ...
was about to the phased into use on the main domestic routes and the committee recommended in 1964 that nine new airports be built which could serve jetliners,Svanberg: 662–663 including an airport in
Florø is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Kinn, Vestland, Norway. The town was founded by royal decree in 1860 as a ladested on the island of Florelandet, located between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden. Florø is No ...
to serve
Sogn og Fjordane Sogn og Fjordane (; English: "Sogn and Fjordane") was, up to 1 January 2020, a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the cou ...
. Widerøe launched an alternative proposal and suggested that a network of smaller airports be built instead, which could be served using
short take-off and landing A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh condition ...
aircraft, which were being developed at the time. Smaller airports could be built and operated at lower cost than larger airports, but both airports and airlines would need subsidies to operate.
HÃ¥kon Kyllingmark HÃ¥kon Olai Kyllingmark (19 January 1915 – 12 August 2003) was a Norwegian military officer and businessman. He served as a politician for the Conservative Party and was elected to the Norwegian Parliament. Biography He was born at Kjelv ...
was appointed Minister of Transport and Communications in 1965 and was a proponent of the
STOLport A STOLport or STOLPORT was an airport designed with STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) operations in mind, usually for an aircraft class of certain weight and size. The term "STOLport" did not appear to be in common usage as of 2008, although was c ...
proposal. The political rationale was that, despite that the total operating costs would rise, it would provide better services to rural areas and thus keep up their population. As an alternative location for the airport to serve
Sogn Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ''(Vestlandet)''. It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...
,
Høyanger Høyanger () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger. Other villages in Høyanger municipality include Austreim, Bjordal, Kyrkjebø, ...
was considered and test flights were flown there. Also
Gaupne Gaupne is the administrative center of the municipality of Luster in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located along the Gaupnefjorden, an arm of the Lustrafjorden, about north of the village of Hafslo. The village of Veitastrond is lo ...
was considered by an industrial conglomerate led by
Aker Aker may refer to: Places * Aker, Norway, a geographic area in Oslo and a former municipality in Norway * Vestre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Nordre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Aker Br ...
, although also these plans were shelved. Haukåsen was therefore selected as the site of the airport. Mayor of Sogndal, Nils Knagenhjelm, offered a free section of land at Haukåsen if the airport was located there. He had built a road to the area in the 1960s. The terms were accepted and the land and the road were taken over by the airport at the time of the aerodrome's completion. The regional airports only received a simple terminal and an runway. The first such airports were opened in
Helgeland Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet mountains and Svartise ...
in 1968. This was deeded sufficiently successful that
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
approved the second stage in 1969, consisting of four airports in Northwestern Norway. In addition to Sogndal, these consisted of Førde Airport, Øyrane;
Florø Airport Florø Airport ( nn, Florø lufthamn, ) is a regional airport serving the town of Florø in Kinn Municipality, in the west central part of Vestland county, Norway. It is situated on the southern shore of the island of Florelandet, adjacent to t ...
and Ørsta–Volda Airport, Hovden. All four airports opened on 1 July 1971. The airport initially consisted of an integrated terminal and works building with a control tower. Sogndal Airport received a runway measuring and an apron measuring .Arnesen: 119 Services were provided by Widerøe, which operated the 19-seat
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...
to
Bergen Airport, Flesland Bergen Airport ( nn, Bergen lufthamn; ), alternatively Bergen Flesland Airport or simply Flesland Airport, is an international airport located at Flesland in the city and municipality of Bergen, Vestland, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the secon ...
and
Ålesund Airport, Vigra Ålesund Airport ( nn, Ålesund lufthamn, ), or alternatively Ålesund Vigra Airport, is an international airport serving the town of Ålesund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the island of Vigra in Giske Municipality and fe ...
. The road to the airport was frequently closed and in 1978 a dorm was built to allow the employees to overnight should they get caught by a blizzard. A new fire station was built in the early 1980s. This allowed Widerøe to introduce the
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, short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent comp ...
on the route from Florø and Sogndal to
Oslo Airport, Fornebu Oslo Airport, Fornebu ( no, Oslo lufthavn, Fornebu), was the primary international 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 redevelo ...
in September 1983. This was followed up with a new and larger terminal and the renovation of the tower in 1985. Widerøe replaced its Twin Otters and Dash 7s with the
de Havilland Canada Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...
in the early 1990s. Ownership of the airport passed from Sogndal Municipality to the Civil Aviation Administration (later renamed Avinor) on 1 January 1997.
Airport security Airport security includes the techniques and methods used in an attempt to protect passengers, staff, aircraft, and airport property from malicious harm, crime, terrorism, and other threats. Aviation security is a combination of measures and hum ...
was introduced on 1 January 2005. The airport was upgraded between 2004 and 2007 with expanded safety areas, lights, land- and air-side parking, a new arrival terminal, navigational system and additional garage space.


Facilities

Sogndal Airport is situated in the heights of the HaukÃ¥sen in Sogndal, situated from Kaupanger and from Sogndalsfjæra. It is the sole airport serving the district of Sogn. It has a reference elevation of 498 meters (1,366 ft)
above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
, on a ledge close to the
Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...
. The asphalt runway physically measures and is aligned 06/24. It has a takeoff run available (TORA) of on runway 06 and on runway 24, and a landing distance available (LDA) of . The airport is equipped with category 4 fire and rescue service. The airport is situated twenty minutes drive from the town center. There is an airport coach service operated by
Nettbuss Vy Buss, formerly branded as Nettbuss, is the largest bus company in Norway, owned by Vy. It was established on 10 February 2000 as the continuation of the bus operations from former NSB Biltrafikk. In addition to bus services in major parts of N ...
. Paid parking, taxis and car rental are available at the airport. The road (although in part obscured by forest) is quite beautiful, located above the
Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...
, with a view over the mountain Bleia on the other side (best seen from ).


Airlines and destinations

Widerøe provides the only scheduled services at Sogndal Airport. They are operated as public service obligation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications and are flown with Dash 8-100 aircraft. Virtually all passengers travel either to
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
and
Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
, of which three-quarters travel to the former. Operation of the airport ran at a deficit of NOK 22 million in 2012. In addition the routes are subsidies at a cost of NOK 329 per passenger for the .Larsen: 18 Sogndal Airport served 70,244 passengers, 5,735 aircraft movements and handled 5 tonnes of cargo.


Statistics


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sogndal Airport, Haukasen Airports in Vestland Avinor airports Sogndal 1971 establishments in Norway Airports established in 1971