Ørland Airport
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Ørland Airport (; ), also known as Ørland Airport, Brekstad (') is the civilian sector of the ''
Ørland Main Air Station Ørland Main Air Station (Norwegian: Ørland hovedflystasjon) is situated at the mouth of the Trondheimsfjorden in Ørland Municipality in Trøndelag county in the center of Norway. Ørland is operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force and is an i ...
''. It is located northwest of the town of
Brekstad Brekstad is a town in Ørland Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord at the entrance to the Stjørnfjorden. The town is located about south of the village of Uthaug and about west of the villages of ...
, in
Ørland Municipality Ørland is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen Districts of Norway, region. Ørland is located at the southwestern tip of the Fosen peninsula at the northern ...
in
Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
county,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The civilian sector is municipal, although the runway, air traffic control and rescue services are operated by the
Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () 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 peacetime establishment is approximately 2,430 employees (officers, enlisted ...
. The airport terminal, which has a capacity for 50 simultaneous passengers, was built in 1978 and renovated in 2007. It is served by Air Norway, operated by North Flying, with a daily round trip to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
and a weekly service to
Aalborg Aalborg or Ã…lborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...
. Ørland is the main airport for the district of
Fosen Fosen is a traditional district in coastal Trøndelag county, Norway. The district consists of the municipalities Osen, Åfjord, Ørland, Indre Fosen, Orkland, Heim, Hitra, and Frøya. In colloquial speech, Fosen also refers to the Fosen ...
, and it is located close enough to the city of
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
that
Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish Low-cost carrier#Ultra low-cost carrier, ultra low-cost airline group headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. The parent company, Ryanair Holdings plc, includes subsidiaries Ryanair , Malta Air, Buzz (Ryanair), Buzz ...
has considered it as a secondary airport. A car ferry must be used to reach the airport from Trondheim. The airport served 5,546 passengers in 2014.


History

Planning of an airfield at Ørland was started in January 1941 and the decision was announced by the ''
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'' on 22 April 1941. Within ten days work on
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for 45 landowners started. The airport was planned to have a runway, although this had been lengthened to by the time the runway was completed in late 1941. The runway was aligned roughly east–west at 228.4 degrees and made of wood. Construction of a second, concrete runway commenced in 1942. This work took much longer time and was not completed until mid 1944. This runway is part of the northern end of the current runway. A third runway was also planned, but no more than some leveling had been completed by the end of the war in April 1945. Within days the airport had been taken over by the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
. The air station was officially taken over by the RNoAF on 2 November 1945. Funding to upgrade the airport were dropped in 1946, but the air force continued to work with expansion proposals. Ørland saw a limited amount of civilian traffic. The first route was established by Trøndelag Flyveselskap in 1949, which operated a route to Trondheim Airport, Lade using a three-seat
Auster Auster may refer to: Places * Auster Glacier, located in East Antarctica * Auster Islands, East Antarctica * Auster Pass, located in East Antarctica * Auster Point, located in West Antarctica Other uses * Auster Aircraft, a former British air ...
. The route was quickly terminated.Hovd: 388 The decision to upgrade the airport was taken in 1950, following the decision that Norway would receive the
F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet is an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunde ...
through the
Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...
. They required a much longer runway than the existing
de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteo ...
s and the air force wanted to have one airport with sufficient runway length for them in each of its regions. For
Central Norway Central Norway (, ) is an informal, unclearly defined region of Norway. In its most limited usage, the term "Central Norway" may refer only to Trøndelag county; however, it may also be understood to include all or parts of the county of Møre og ...
the air force therefore decided to upgrade Ørland's main runway to . Construction started in April 1952 and was completed in June 1952. Work then started on the parallel runway, which was completed in November. The initial investment program for the airport concluded in July 1954 with the completion of a fire station. The air force and its 332 Squadron started using the airport on 31 May 1954. During the early 1950s, Widerøe and Polarfly would occasionally use the airfield for
air ambulance Air medical services are the use of aircraft, including both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to provide various kinds of urgent medical care, especially prehospital, emergency and critical care to patients during aeromedical evacuation an ...
services.
Scandinavian Airlines System The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the Flag carrier, national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna Municipality, Solna, Sweden. Including ...
received permission on 3 March 1953 to use Ørlandet as an alternative airfield for its route to Northern Norway; the permission was expanded to also include their North Pole route to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. In the course of ten years this resulted in six or seven landings. From 1958 to 1962 a direct cargo route with crabs and fish was established between Ørlandet and
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, using a
Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is an American passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era, developed as part of the Model 10 Electra family, specifically from the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra. Design and development Sales of the 1 ...
. Braathens SAFE introduced a summer scheduled service from Ørland to
Trondheim Airport, Værnes Trondheim Airport (; ), more commonly known as Værnes, is an international airport serving Trondheim (city), Trondheim and the surrounding areas in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, Trøndelag, Værnes, a village i ...
in 1967, but there were not sufficient passengers to reintroduce it the following year. The Værnes route was reopened by
Widerøe Widerøes Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a Norwegian airline, and the largest regional airline operating in the Nordic countries. The airline's fleet of 48 aircraft includes 45 De Havilland Dash 8 turboprops as well as 3 Embraer 1 ...
in 1971. A small cabin was at first used as a passenger terminal, but a larger terminal building was completed in 1978. This resulted in the airport's historical peak level of service, with four daily services. An early morning and late evening flight were provided to Værnes, where there was possibilities to transfer to north- and south-bound flights. Two more services were provided by flights which connected to the airports in
Helgeland Helgeland is the most southerly Districts of Norway, 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 moun ...
and Western Norway. The military enforced strict restrictions on civilian traffic until 1985, when the airport received national airport status. This resulted in a further expansion of the civilian section, especially the size of the apron. During mid-1986 the runway at Værnes was to be replaced and Ørland was used as a substitute. At the same time Ørland Municipality hoped to establish a
heliport A heliport is a small airport which has a helipad, suitable for use by helicopters, powered lift, and various types of vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also hav ...
at Ørland to serve oil fields in Haltenbanken, but this was instead located to
Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget Kristiansund Airport (; ) is an international airport serving the town of Kristiansund (town), Kristiansund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is situated at Kvernberget on the island of Nordlandet in Kristiansund Municipality. It is the sole ...
. Widerøe had throughout the 1980s been reducing its activity at Ørland and terminated its last flights in 1987.
Norving Norving A/S was a regional airline that operated in Norway between 1971 and 1993. It had roots back to the establishment of Varangfly in 1959. At its peak, the company had eight bases and 27 aircraft. History Varangfly was founded on 24 July 1959 ...
chose to start four daily services, but they were forced to close them later the same year. The municipality started a push to establish a new airline at the airport. Valdresfly established a route to Værnes in 1994, but was forced to close the following year. With the opening of
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Oslo Airport () , alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is an international airport serving Oslo, the capital and most populous city of Norway. The airport is the second largest in Scandinavia and the Nord ...
in 1998, both Valdresfly and Heli-Trans wanted to fly the route, and the municipality chose Heli-Trans. The route started on 15 April 1998, but was closed in October.Hovd: 389 In 2001,
low-cost carrier A low-cost carrier (LCC) or low-cost airline, also called a budget, or discount carrier or airline, is an airline that is operated with an emphasis on minimizing operating costs. It sacrifices certain traditional airline luxuries for cheaper fa ...
Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish Low-cost carrier#Ultra low-cost carrier, ultra low-cost airline group headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. The parent company, Ryanair Holdings plc, includes subsidiaries Ryanair , Malta Air, Buzz (Ryanair), Buzz ...
announced that they were considering to open a route from Ørland to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Ryanair stated that the fees charged at
Trondheim Airport, Værnes Trondheim Airport (; ), more commonly known as Værnes, is an international airport serving Trondheim (city), Trondheim and the surrounding areas in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, Trøndelag, Værnes, a village i ...
was too high for them, and the municipality stated that they were willing to stretch themselves far on low landing fees to attract Ryanair. Ryanair was already serving the Oslo area from
Sandefjord Airport, Torp Sandefjord Airport, Torp (; ) is a minor international airport located northeast of Sandefjord and south of Oslo in Norway. The airport features a runway aligned 18/36. Torp partially serves as a regional airport for Vestfold and in part as a ...
, which is a military air station which has been converted to a low-cost airport. If started, they initially planned daily flights to
London Stansted Airport Stansted Airport is an international airport serving London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Uttlesford, Essex, northeast of Central London. As London's Airports of London, third-bu ...
. In September 2002, the municipality and Ryanair signed an agreement, which, if activated, would start Ryanair flights to Brekstad. However, because the airport had insufficient infrastructure, a new terminal building would need to be built. Investments were estimated at NOK 17 million and public transport to the airport would be provided using fast ferries. In March 2003, Ryanair announced that they would not start services to Ørland. Mayor Knut Morten Ring (
Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
) stated that the municipality would continue to plan a new terminal, and would, if necessary, built a temporary terminal to attract the airlines. Air Norway commenced scheduled services from Brekstad to Oslo on 23 May 2003. From 31 January 2004, they included a weekly service to Aalborg. In 2004, the Russian airline
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...
was considering flying fish from Ørland to Japan, but the plans were rejected by the Norwegian Air Force. In 2006, Air Norway experienced a 40% passenger growth, and from 6 September, they also introduced services on Wednesday. When the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
introduced new security rules for airports from 1 January 2005, Brekstad Airport was exempt, because of the small size of the aircraft. By April, the airport had received notice that 100% security control would still have to be introduced, costing the municipality per year. At the same time, Air Norway was still losing money, and applied to the municipality to not be charged landing fees at the airport. On 3 September 2007, the terminal was renovated for NOK 1.8 million. It received a segregation of arriving and departing passengers, 100% security control and a general renovation of the building, although the capacity was not increased. In 2009, Air Norway lost 1,300 passengers after the Norwegian Air Force decided to not permit their employees to travel from Brekstad, but instead have to take cheaper flights from Trondheim, located about two hours drive away. The reduction in ridership, along with a strengthening of the
Danish krone The krone (; plural: ''kroner''; sign: kr.; code: DKK) is the official currency of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, introduced on 1 January 1875. Both the ISO code "DKK" and currency sign "kr." are in common use; the former precedes ...
in relation to the Norwegian, caused Air Norway to have lost NOK 100,000 by August 2009. The mayor of Ørland stated at that he was working to make the route receive state grants as a
public service obligation In the context of European Union law, a public service obligation or PSO is an obligation imposed on an organisation by legislation or contract to provide a service of general interest within EU territories. PSOs may operate in any field of publi ...
. After Ørland Airport was left with no scheduled flights as Air Leap ceased operations to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
on January 24, 2022, DAT Danish Air Transport started a domestic service to Harstad/Narvik once a week commencing July 5, 2022. DAT Danish Air Transport had their first flight on the new
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
route on the 1st. March.


Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Ørland Airport:


Statistics


Facilities

The airport resides at an
elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
of above
mean sea level A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...
. It has one
runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...
designated 15/33 with an
asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...
surface measuring . The terminal has a capacity for up to 50 people per flight.Google translation
Ørland is an
international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...
with customs and border controls. Six people work at the airport, including three security personnel and three ground handling personnel. The operation costs the municipality NOK 680,000 per year,
Google translation
although Air Norway is exempt from paying any airport taxes.
Google translation
The airport is located a few minutes drive () outside Brekstad. It is 55 minutes by fast ferry from Brekstad to Trondheim, and two hours drive, , including a ferry. By fast ferry, Brekstad is two and a half hours from
Kristiansund Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal counties of Norway, county. The admin ...
, and about one hours drive from
Orkanger Orkanger is a town and the administrative centre of Orkland Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The town sits at the end of the Orkdal Fjord, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord. Orkanger is the commercial centre of Orkland Municipality and it ...
.
Google translation
The airport is a reserve for
Trondheim Airport, Værnes Trondheim Airport (; ), more commonly known as Værnes, is an international airport serving Trondheim (city), Trondheim and the surrounding areas in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, Trøndelag, Værnes, a village i ...
, and international carriers such as
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),
land at Ørland when the
Trondheim Airport Trondheim Airport (; ), more commonly known as Værnes, is an international airport serving Trondheim and the surrounding areas in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, a village in Stjørdal Municipality which is loc ...
in
Værnes Trondheim Airport (; ), more commonly known as Værnes, is an international airport serving Trondheim (city), Trondheim and the surrounding areas in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, Trøndelag, Værnes, a village i ...
has to close.


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oerland Airport Ørland Airports in Trøndelag Royal Norwegian Air Force airfields 1941 establishments in Norway Airports established in 1941