Tags
- Landmark Historical Place
- Heliport
- Landmark & Historical Place
Description
Værøy Heliport is a heliport located at Tobbisodden on the island and municipality of Værøy, Norway, close to the municipal center of Sørland. The airport, operated by the state-owned Avinor, consists of a single helipad and handled 9,420 passengers in 2014. Services are provided by Lufttransport using the AgustaWestland AW139 to Bodø, based on a public service obligation contract.Widerøe commenced seaplane operates to Værøy from 1965; five years later the first helicopter services were introduced. Planning of an airport started in the late 1960s, but Værøy Airport did not open until 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, but Lufttransport has won every tender since 2005.HistorySeaplanes and helicoptersThe first aircraft to land in Værøy was a Noorduyn Norseman of the Royal Norwegian Air Force in 1948. Services to Værøy started in 1965, when Widerøe commenced sea plane services to the island using de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otters 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 was a frequent operator to Værøy for charter services.
