Røst Airport
Encyclopedia
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 operate to Bodø Airport
and Leknes Airport
. Røst was first served using seaplanes from the 1960s, and then by helicopters from 1972. On 1 June 1986, Røst Airport opened, and the airport was served by Widerøe using de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
s. From 2000 to 2001 the service was operated by Guard Air, and from 2003 to 2008, by Kato Air.
and Noorduyn Norseman
aircraft. In 1972, the government wanted to start a helicopter service from Bodø Airport
to Røst and Værøy
—an island community further inland from Røst. Widerøe was granted the concession, but they did not want to operate helicopters, so they subcontracted it to Helilift. The service was flown twice per day on weekdays and once per day in the weekend, using two sixteen-seat Sikorsky S-58T helicpers. In 1973, 1.9 million Norwegian krone
(NOK) 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 and operated by Offshore Helicopters in March 1978. In 1980, Helikopter Service merged with Offshore Helicopters, and the new Helikopter Service took over the route. Due to high maintenance costs with the Sikorskys, Helikopter Service started operating an eleven-seat Bell 212 helicopters from 1 January 1982. 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 airport: Fagernes Airport, Leirin
; Førde Airport, Bringeland
; Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad
; Rørvik Airport, Ryum
and Værøy Airport
. The plans were passed by Parliament on 10 April 1984 and construction started in 1985. On 22 August 1985, the municipality was granted concession to operate the airport. On 1 June 1986, Værøy and Røst Airports were opened, with Røst Airport having cost about NOK 15 million to build. In 1994, the Norwegian Civil Aviation Administration
proposed closing the airport along with eight other regional airports, because they had high subsidy levels. On 1 January 1996, Røst Airport was nationalized, along with 25 other regional airports, and put under the control of the Norwegian Civil Airport Administration (now Avinor).
before returning to Bodø. The service was subsidized by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Widerøe replaced the Twin Otters with 37-seat de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8s in 1995. The route from Bodø to Røst was made subject to public service obligation from 1 April 1997, which was won by the incumbent, after beating Valdresfly and Helikopter Service in the auction. The following contract, valid from 1 April 2000, was awarded to Guard Air, but this company folded in 2001. Helikopter Service operated the route temporarily until Widerøe took it over again the same year.
On 1 April 2003, Kato Air took over the Bodø–Røst route, using Dornier Do 228
aircraft. The new airline had a troubled start with the passenger numbers dropping by 27 percent. On 4 December, a flight from Røst to Bodø was hit by lightning, and received severe damage during the landing at Bodø. The choice of the operator was criticized by the Røst Municipal Council following the incident, stated that the ministry had prioritized price over safety. The council stated that they did not feel that Kato Air provided the same service as Widerøe and that the aircraft were a safety hazard. Among the complaints were lack of accessibility for disabled people, no cabin pressurization
, no weather radar
, more expensive tickets, no discounted tickets and no possibility for carry-on baggage. In February 2006, there was a wave of cancellations by Kato Air, due to technical problems with both the airline's aircraft. In June, the airline's pilots started selling tickets themselves at the airport. The company stated that this was because they had declined Widerøe to do this because of higher costs. In 2008, the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway
withdrew Kato Air's concession due to lack on maintenance. On an interim basis, the helicopter airline Lufttransport
, that operated the route to the near-by island of Værøy, took over the route from 5 September to 29 October, when Widerøe started flying again.
, the most remote island in the Lofoten
archipalego. It has a terminal building with a capacity for 40 passengers per hour. The largest aircraft that can operate at the airport are the Dash 8-100. There is free parking at the airport for 20 vehicles. Taxis can be prebooked.
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 :...
in Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is owned and operated by Avinor
Avinor
Avinor AS is a state owned limited company in 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 January 2003, by the privatization of the...
. Services are provided 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...
, operating de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 aircraft on contract with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Services operate to 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...
and Leknes Airport
Leknes 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:...
. Røst was first served using seaplanes from the 1960s, and then by helicopters from 1972. On 1 June 1986, Røst Airport opened, and the airport was served by Widerøe using 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...
s. From 2000 to 2001 the service was operated by Guard Air, and from 2003 to 2008, by Kato Air.
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...
and Noorduyn Norseman
Noorduyn Norseman
The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.-Design and...
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 Røst and Værøy
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...
—an island community further inland from Røst. Widerøe was granted the concession, but they did not want to operate helicopters, so they subcontracted it to Helilift. The service was flown twice per day on weekdays and once per day in the weekend, using two sixteen-seat Sikorsky S-58T helicpers. In 1973, 1.9 million Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
(NOK) 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 and operated by Offshore Helicopters in March 1978. In 1980, Helikopter Service merged with Offshore Helicopters, and the new Helikopter Service took over the route. Due to high maintenance costs with the Sikorskys, Helikopter Service started operating an eleven-seat Bell 212 helicopters from 1 January 1982. 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 airport: 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 Værøy Airport
Værøy Airport
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...
. The plans were passed by Parliament on 10 April 1984 and construction started in 1985. On 22 August 1985, the municipality was granted concession to operate the airport. On 1 June 1986, Værøy and Røst Airports were opened, with Røst Airport having cost about NOK 15 million to build. In 1994, the Norwegian Civil Aviation Administration
Avinor
Avinor AS is a state owned limited company in 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 January 2003, by the privatization of the...
proposed closing the airport along with eight other regional airports, because they had high subsidy levels. On 1 January 1996, Røst Airport was nationalized, along with 25 other regional airports, and put under the control of the Norwegian Civil Airport Administration (now Avinor).
Service
After the airport opened, services started with Widerøe-operated twenty-seat 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 Ministry of Transport and Communications. Widerøe replaced the Twin Otters with 37-seat de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8s in 1995. The route from Bodø to Røst was made subject to public service obligation from 1 April 1997, which was won by the incumbent, after beating Valdresfly and Helikopter Service in the auction. The following contract, valid from 1 April 2000, was awarded to Guard Air, but this company folded in 2001. Helikopter Service operated the route temporarily until Widerøe took it over again the same year.
On 1 April 2003, Kato Air took over the Bodø–Røst route, using Dornier Do 228
Dornier Do 228
The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...
aircraft. The new airline had a troubled start with the passenger numbers dropping by 27 percent. On 4 December, a flight from Røst to Bodø was hit by lightning, and received severe damage during the landing at Bodø. The choice of the operator was criticized by the Røst Municipal Council following the incident, stated that the ministry had prioritized price over safety. The council stated that they did not feel that Kato Air provided the same service as Widerøe and that the aircraft were a safety hazard. Among the complaints were lack of accessibility for disabled people, no cabin pressurization
Cabin pressurization
Cabin pressurization is the pumping of compressed air into an aircraft cabin to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for crew and passengers when flying at altitude.-Need for cabin pressurization:...
, no weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
, more expensive tickets, no discounted tickets and no possibility for carry-on baggage. In February 2006, there was a wave of cancellations by Kato Air, due to technical problems with both the airline's aircraft. In June, the airline's pilots started selling tickets themselves at the airport. The company stated that this was because they had declined Widerøe to do this because of higher costs. In 2008, the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway
Civil Aviation Authority of Norway
Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority is the Norwegian inspectorate responsible for civil aviation in Norway. It is subordinate the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications and is located in Bodø....
withdrew Kato Air's concession due to lack on maintenance. On an interim basis, the helicopter airline Lufttransport
Lufttransport
Lufttransport is a Norwegian helicopter and fixed-wing airline that operates primarily air ambulance helicopters and planes for the Norwegian and Swedish governments...
, that operated the route to the near-by island of Værøy, took over the route from 5 September to 29 October, when Widerøe started flying again.
Facilities
Røst Airport is a regional airport owned and operated by Avinor. It serves the island of RøstRøst
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 most remote island in the Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
archipalego. It has a terminal building with a capacity for 40 passengers per hour. The largest aircraft that can operate at the airport are the Dash 8-100. There is free parking at the airport for 20 vehicles. Taxis can be prebooked.