Værøy Heliport
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Værøy Heliport (; ) is 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 ...
located at Tobbisodden on the island of
Værøya Værøya or Værøy is an island in Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island makes up about 89% of the land area of the whole municipality and it is home to 100% of the municipal residents. Name The Old Norse form of the isla ...
in Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The heliport lies close to the village of
Sørland Sørland is a seaside resort, fishing village, and the administrative centre of Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern side of the island of Værøya. The village is the main population center of the isla ...
, the municipal centre of the municipality. The airport, operated by the state-owned
Avinor Avinor AS is a state-owned aksjeselskap, 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 wa ...
, consists of a single
helipad A helipad is the landing area of a heliport, in use by helicopters, powered lift, and vertical lift aircraft to land on surface. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fa ...
and handled 9,420 passengers in 2014. Services are provided by
Lufttransport Lufttransport is a Norwegian helicopter and fixed-wing airline that operates primarily air ambulance helicopters and planes for the Norwegian and Swedish governments. In addition the airline offers services including surveillance for the Norwe ...
using the
AgustaWestland AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139, now known as the Leonardo AW139, is a 15-seat medium-sized twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, now part of Leonardo. It is marketed at several differ ...
to the nearby mainland town of Bodø, based on 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 ...
contract.
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 ...
commenced
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
operates to Værøy from 1965; five years later the first helicopter services were introduced. Planning of an airport started in the late 1960s, and
Værøy Airport Værøy Airport (; ) was a regional airport located just southwest of the village of Nordland on the island of Værøya in Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Operated between 1986 and 1990, it had an asphalt runway aligned 07–25 ...
opened in 1986. The fatal Widerøe Flight 839 accident took place on 12 April 1990, causing the airport to be closed. Helicopter services commenced in 1993 and Værøy Heliport opened in 1997, after several locations had been considered. Services were originally operated by Helikopter Service; Lufttransport has won every tender since 2005.


History


Seaplanes and helicopters

The first aircraft to land on the island of
Værøya Værøya or Værøy is an island in Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island makes up about 89% of the land area of the whole municipality and it is home to 100% of the municipal residents. Name The Old Norse form of the isla ...
was a
Noorduyn Norseman The Noorduyn Norseman, also known as the C-64 Norseman, is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Distinctive stubby landing gear protrusions from the lower fuselage make it easily recognizable. Intro ...
of 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 ...
in 1948. Services to Værøy started in 1965, when Widerøe commenced
sea plane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteristi ...
services to the island using
de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, Propeller (aircraft), propeller-driven, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same role ...
s and Norseman aircraft. The routes were operated two to three times per week as a charter service, with subsidies from the municipalities of Værøy and Røst. At Værøy the airline parked the aircraft in Sørlandsvågen and rowed passengers to and from land with a rowboat. Ragnar Johansen's
Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufactu ...
was a frequent operator to Værøy for charter services. Helikopter Service flew between
Bodø Airport Bodø Airport is a civil airport in the town of Bodø in Bodø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Located just south of the city centre, on the westernmost tip of the Bodø peninsula, it shares facilities with the military air force base ...
to Værøyf and
Røst Rost, Røst, or Röst may refer to: Places Germany * Tensbüttel-Röst, municipality in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Norway *Røst Municipality, an island municipality in Nordland county, Norway *Røstlandet (also k ...
—the island community further out from Værøy—with three weekly services from 1973. The helicopters doubled as serving for
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
duty; in case they were needed for the latter flights to Værøy and Røst were cancelled. The regional airports in
Lofoten Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. T ...
and
Vesterålen Vesterålen ( , ; ) is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located just north of Lofoten and west of Harstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county. Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the a ...
opened in 1972, with the Værøy and Røst service being taken over by Widerøe on 1 September 1973. As they did not want to operate helicopters, they subcontracted the operations to Helilift. The service operated twice per day on weekdays and once per day in the weekends, using two sixteen-seat
Sikorsky S-58T The Sikorsky H-34 (company designation S-58) is an American piston-engined military utility helicopter originally designed by Sikorsky as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft for the United States Navy. A development of the smaller Sikor ...
s. Subsidies of 1.9 million
Norwegian krone The krone (, currency sign, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); ISO 4217, code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is the currency of the Kingdom of Norway (including List of possessions of Norway, overseas territories and dependencies). It was t ...
(NOK) was granted for the route in 1973, and the service transported 5,359 passengers (from both Røst and Værøy). At Værøy the helicopters landed at Hanna Bakken-jordet in Sørland. One of the helicopters was bought by Widerøe in December 1976 and the operations were subcontracted to Offshore Helicopters. The second Sikorsky was bought from Helilift in March 1978 and also operated by Offshore Helicopters. Helikopter Service merged with Offshore Helicopters in 1980, and the new Helikopter Service took over the route. They introduced an eleven-seat
Bell 212 The Bell 212 (also known as the ''Bell Two-Twelve'') is a two-blade, twin-engine, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, production was moved to Mirabel, Queb ...
helicopters from 1 January 1982 because of the high maintenance costs of the S-58Ts. In 1982 the service to both islands handled 7,145 passengers and three tonnes of post and cargo, and made 744 landings. It received subsidies for NOK 4 million.


Airport and accident

Proposals for an airport at Værøy and Røst were launched in the late 1960s. Three locations on Værøy were considered: Kvalnes, Røssnesvågen and Nordlandet. The
Norwegian Meteorological Institute The Norwegian Meteorological Institute (), also known internationally as MET Norway, is Norway's national meteorological institute. It provides weather forecasts for civilian and military uses and conducts research in meteorology, oceanography an ...
concluded in 1973 that Nordlandet was the most suitable location in terms of weather, but test flights showed otherwise. The local population was largely content with the helicopter service, but pressure from Røst resulted in a local acceptance for an airport. Construction began in 1985. and Værøy and Røst Airports opened on 1 June 1986. The airport is located at Nordlandet on the north side of the island of Værøy. It is located on level section of land; just south of the runway is the tall mountain Teisthammeren. The asphalt runway measured . On 19 January 1989, a Widerøe Twin Otter became uncontrollable due to turbulence during
final approach In aeronautics, the final approach (also called the final leg and final approach leg) is the last leg in an aircraft's approach to landing, when the aircraft is lined up with the runway and descending for landing.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of A ...
to Værøy. Control was regained when there was height above the sea. This incident caused the airport to be temporarily closed. Widerøe Flight 839 took place on 12 April 1990, when a Twin Otter crashed into the sea just after take-off, killing all five people on board. The cause of the accident were strong winds that exceeded the structure's tolerance, causing the tail rudder and
tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lift (force), lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters ...
to crack so the plane became uncontrollable. Uneven and strong winds had given the airport low regularity, and prior to take-off, wind speeds of had been recorded.


Heliport

The airport was closed immediately after the accident. There was a local discussion of whether the airport should be reopened, but on 17 January 1992 the Ministry of Transport and Communications decided that the airport would be permanently closed. The airport facilities are now used as a private dwelling and house a small-scale chocolate factory. The Civil Aviation Administration (later renamed Avinor) started planning a new airport on the island. Initial proposals were Røssnesvågen and Kvalnes, and the ministry also considered establishing a fast ferry service.
Nordland County Municipality Nordland County Municipality () is the regional governing administration of Nordland county in Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 16 upper secondary schools, with 9,500 pupils. It administers the ...
started a helicopter service from Værøy to Bodø on 1 January 1993, using the old heliport at Hanna Bakken-jordet. Operations were provided by Helikopter Service. Planning of a state-financed heliport and route resumed in 1995, following a government report on regional aviation. Proposed locations were the old steamship quay, Kvalnes, Torvvågen and Tobbisodden. The latter was chosen and construction commenced in 1996; the heliport was entirely financed by the Civil Aviation Administration and was officially opened on 15 February 1997. With state-financed operations the service was made subject to
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 ...
s. The initial three-year contract was won by Helikopter Service, which bid NOK 22.7 million, 28 percent less than they received previously. Other contenders were Helilift and Norsk Helikopter. Helikopter Service retained the contract for three years from 1 August 1999, after being the only contender in a 1999 bid. The three-year contract issued state grants of NOK 32.25 million. In a 2002 tender, valid for three years from 1 August 2002, CHC Helikopter Service won the bid in exchange for subsidies of NOK 55.8 million. Lufttransport won the tender valid from 1 August 2005, winning ahead of CHC with a bid of NOK 56 million. Lufttransport renewed the contract for a new three years starting 1 August 2008, after they were the only bidder in the tender. They received NOK 102 million for three years. During this period better
navigational aids A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, ...
were installed, allowing helicopters to operate during twice per day also during the dark period of the year. Lufttransport was the only bidder for the following contract, which lasts three years from 1 August 2011. The subsidies for this period are NOK 96 million. Because it only serves helicopters, Værøy does not have an
aerodrome flight information service A flight information service (FIS) is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region (FIR), as agreed internationally by ICAO. It is defined as information pertinent to the safe and efficient c ...
(AFIS). As part of the
Single European Sky ATM Research Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) is a collaborative project to completely overhaul European airspace and its air traffic management (ATM). The actual program is managed by the SESAR Joint Undertaking as a public–private partnership ...
program, Avinor installed a remote AFIS service at Værøy, which is controlled from Bodø. If successful, the program may result in regional airports in Norway receiving remote AFIS services.


Facilities

Værøy Heliport is located at Tobbisodden, the outer-most point of Kvitvarden near the village of Sørland on the island of Værøy. The heliport resides at an elevation of
above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
. It has one helipad, designated 03–21, with an asphalt surface measuring . The heliport is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor. The airport has seventeen free parking spaces; taxis are available. Driving distance to the center of
Sørland Sørland is a seaside resort, fishing village, and the administrative centre of Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern side of the island of Værøya. The village is the main population center of the isla ...
is five minutes.


Airlines and destinations

Services to Værøy are provided to Bodø twice per day by Lufttransport using a fifteen-seat
AgustaWestland AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139, now known as the Leonardo AW139, is a 15-seat medium-sized twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, now part of Leonardo. It is marketed at several differ ...
helicopter. The airline operates the route on a public service obligation contract with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The airport handled 9,420 passengers, 1,252 aircraft movements and 27 tonnes of cargo in 2014.


Statistics


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaeroey Heliport Airports in Nordland Airports in the Arctic Avinor airports Værøy Heliports in Norway 1997 establishments in Norway Airports established in 1997