Farsund Airport, Lista

Last updated
Farsund Airport, Lista

Farsund lufthavn, Lista
Flydap.jpg
Summary
Airport typeNon Public
OwnerLista Flypark AS
Serves Farsund
Location Lista
Elevation  AMSL 9 m / 29 ft
Coordinates 58°06′01″N006°37′30″E / 58.10028°N 6.62500°E / 58.10028; 6.62500 Coordinates: 58°06′01″N006°37′30″E / 58.10028°N 6.62500°E / 58.10028; 6.62500
Website listalufthavn.no
Map
Relief Map of Norway.png
Airplane silhouette.svg
FAN
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
14/322,9909,810Concrete
09/271,4944,902Concrete

Farsund Airport, Lista (Norwegian : Farsund lufthavn, Lista, IATA : FAN, ICAO : ENLI) is an airport situated on the Lista peninsula in the municipality of Farsund in Agder county, Norway. The village of Vestbygd lies on the southwest side of the airport and the small village of Ore lies on the northeast side. The airport features a 2,990-meter (9,810 ft) concrete runway aligned 14/32. Previously it also had a 1,494-meter (4,902 ft) runway aligned 09/27. Farsund Airport, Lista is the civilian sector of the now closed Lista Air Station. Previously a regional airport, it is now only used for general aviation.

Contents

The airbase was built by the Luftwaffe during the German occupation of Norway, opening in steps between 1941 and 1944. It was taken over by the Royal Norwegian Air Force from 1945. Civilian operations originally commenced in 1955 when Braathens SAFE started services with their de Havilland Heron. Nordsjøfly and its successor Norving flew from 1980 to 1988. The air station was closed in 1996 and the aerodrome privatized. Air Stord operated flights from 1996 to 1999 and since there have been no scheduled services.

History

Construction of Lista Air Station began was started by Luftwaffe in September 1940. It was part of a major investment in defenses built in Lista, known as Lista Fortress and was part of the Atlantic Wall. [1] The base opened in April 1941, consisting of a 1,700 by 120 meters (5,580 by 390 ft) wooden runway. [2] The second phase of construction was completed in 1944 and resulted in an array of support infrastructure and a 1,571 by 80 meters (5,154 by 262 ft) concrete runway. [3]

Three of the hangars from the Second World War still stand Farsund IMG 3410 lista flyst.JPG
Three of the hangars from the Second World War still stand

The airport was taken over by the Royal Norwegian Air Force in November 1945. It was initially proposed closed, but in 1948 it was decided that the facility should be reopened. Lista never received any permanent stationing of squadrons, instead supporting various training schools and missions. From 1951 to 1953 and important part of the air station was the shooting field Marka. Between 1955 and 1959 the base underwent a major redevelopment. Through funding from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), List was designated a full-scale reserve base. This involved the construction of a new, 2,990-meter (9,810 ft) runway and taxiway and stands for two squadrons of fighter jets, each in a designated area. [4]

Braathens SAFE was the first airline to operate out of Farsund Airport, Lista. Starting on 6 June 1955, Braathens SAFE started landing some of the Oslo–Stavanger planes at Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik and Farsund Airport, Lista. The route, nicknamed the "Milk Route", operated Stavanger – Farsund – Kristiansand – Tønsberg – Oslo in the morning, with a return in the evening. It was flown using the de Havilland Heron. [5] Braathens terminated its services on 15 May 1959 when the Herons were retired. The airport did not generate sufficient patronage to support the larger successor aircraft, the Fokker F27 Friendship. [6] [7]

Braathens resumed services during the 1960s, later using the Fokker F28 Fellowship. The twice-daily stopover on a Stavanger to Oslo flight was loss-bringing for Braathens, but part of their concession which secured them a monopoly on several profitable domestic services. [8] For a period in 1977 the services were terminated when there was no fire-fighting service available at the airport. [9] Braathens wet leased some flights from Busy Bee using a Short Skyvan, as the F28s were often too large for the services to Stavanger. The Ministry of Transport and Communications gave Braathens permission to withdraw from the Lista service at the end of the summer schedule of 1980, which the airline did. [10]

Hangar and redeveloped building Farsund IMG 3415 lista flyst.JPG
Hangar and redeveloped building

With Braathens' withdrawal, both Nordsjøfly and Norving skirmished to apply for a concession. Nordsjøfly was awarded the privilege. [11] Norving bought Nordsjøfly in 1982 and incorporated it into its operations, taking over the Farsund route. [12] Busy Bee and Norving applied to operate services from Stavanger to Sandefjord Airport, Torp and Skien Airport, Geiteryggen, respectively. Both were granted their requests, on the condition they make a stop-over at Lista. Busy Bee protested by not starting the route, while Norving started flying in May 1983 with a Cessna Conquest. [13] The route was terminated in February 1988 when Norving pulled out of all scheduled services in Southern Norway. [14]

Due to the restructuring of the military in the 1990s, Parliament voted on 8 June 1994 to close Lista Air Station. Effective from 1 June 1996, the military was set to retain ownership of the facility for ten years. [15] Parliament granted the Defence Estates Agency the right to sell the air station for market price as part of a large-scale sale of defunct military estates. The condition was that any other state or public uses be given priority and that the sale take place through an open sales process. [16]

Lista Airport Development was established on 16 September 1994 and it established Lista Lufthavn on 3 May 1996. In June 1996 the Defence Estates Agency signed a ten-year lease on the entire air station with the latter company for an annual rent of 10,000 Norwegian krone per year. The agency retained the responsibility to maintain the property. Lista Lufthavn received an option for the company to buy the entire facility for NOK 25 million. [17]

Ugland Air aircraft at Lista in 1997 Ugland air.JPG
Ugland Air aircraft at Lista in 1997

Air Stord commenced scheduled services twice a day from Lista to Oslo and Stavanger from 24 June. Initially they used a ten-passenger Beechcraft King Air 200, later increasing to a nineteen-passenger Beechcraft 19. [18] [19] This was secured through two local shipping companies and the municipalities buying a significant portion of the airline. [18] The Stavanger route was later cut. Air Stord's Oslo-route was terminated on 20 February 1999 when the company filed for bankruptcy. [20]

In 1999 the agency were in talks with Farsund Municipality, but stipulated a sales price of NOK 200 million. The municipality therefore withdrew their interest. [21] The agency sold the air station to Lista Flypark. They took over ownership on 9 December 2002. [16] The air station was valuated at NOK 11 million, yet sold for NOK 3.5 million. There was no documentation for why this discount was given. Both Lista Lufthavn and Lista Flypark's contracts were such structured that they had incentives to delay any commercial development of the property. The sale was carried out without public announcement. Eight sections were also sold between 1998 and 2003 without announcement. [22] Avinor asked to take over the control tower and the Directorate for Nature Management asked to take over Slevdalsvannet, but both of these requests were ignored. [21]

All in all the military spent NOK 53 million on the process of selling the property. Subtracted the sales price, this was what the military spend on operating the base after closure, maintaining it and in various discounts to purchasers for them to fix up the base after the sale took place. [23] The scandal resulted in Parliament changing the sales procedures so that they had to be approved of by the government. [24]

Lista Lufthavn signed an agreement with CHC Helikopter Service to use Lista as a reserve airport should Sola become unavailable. There was limited use of the airport and CHC terminated the agreement in March 2007. [25] However, this status allowed the aerodrome flight information service (AFIS) service to be retained. This was closed on 1 September 2007. [26]

Slevdalsvannet Nature Reserve was established in 2005 and in 2014 three small lakes were artificially recreated. The site was bought by the Ministry of the Environment in 2013. [27] Lista Air Show, presenting veteran military aircraft, was organized annual three times from 2009 through 2011, drawing up to 4,000 spectators. [28] [29] Lista Flyklubb was founded on 3 May 2010 and is based at the airport with two aircraft. [30] The summer camp and skating park Flipside opened in a former hangar in 2013. It has a capacity for 1000 children and youth throughout the summer. [31]

Facilities

The interior of one of the hangars, since redeveloped to a skating park Farsund IMG 3388 flipside.JPG
The interior of one of the hangars, since redeveloped to a skating park

Farsund Airport, Lista is situated on the flat section of the Lista peninsula in Farsund, Norway. [4] It is situated between the villages of Vanse and Vestbygd, [32] and 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) from Farsund. [33] The airport lacks a manned control tower and services are limited to visual flight rules in daylight with a maximum take-off weight of 5,700 kilograms (12,600 lb) and a maximum nine passengers. [34] The airport has a reference elevation of 9 meters (30 ft) above mean sea level. It consists of one operative and one closed concrete runway. The main runway measures 2,990 by 45 meters (9,810 by 148 ft) and is aligned 14/32. Parallel to this runs a 2,500-meter (8,200 ft) concrete taxiway. [32] There is a closed runway 1,570 meters (5,150 ft) long which is aligned 09/27. [33]

Most of the base has been listed as a cultural heritage. This includes the runways, the taxiway and the road network, the remaining buildings from the Second World War and Marka. An important aspect when listing was that many of the structures had not been modified since the war. [35] Slevdalsvannet Nature Reserve is situated southwest of the runway. A former lake, it has since been drained. It remains an important wetland area for migratory birds and is part of a Ramsar site. [27]

Airlines and destinations

Lista has a primary catchment area covering Lister, the traditional district covering the westernmost parts of Agder county, and a population of 35,000. This includes the towns of Farsund, Lyngdal and Flekkefjord. Lista is situated 80 minutes drive from Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik. For international flights, people living in Lister often instead use Stavanger Airport, Sola. The proximity to Kjevik has therefore severely limited the demand for an airport in Farsund. [36]

Farsund Airport's main advantage is the long runway. This allows for large cargo aircraft and the occasional charter flight with large passenger aircraft. Lista can also be used in case of a closing of Kjevik. However, these uses occur only sporadically. [36] There were also plans to use the airport for offshore helicopter transport to oil platforms in the North Sea. However, the lack of infrastructure, lack of a freeway to Kristiansand and lack of scheduled flights caused these plans to be terminated. [37]

Kjevik has also received a similar airport competitor to the east, Arendal Airport, Gullknapp. Avinor, the state-owned operator of Kjevik, has stated that both Lista and Gullknapp, should then become operative with scheduled flights, would take away patronage from Kjevik and critical mass to establish new routes from Agder. [38] On the contrary, some have called for the closing of Kjevik and instead that Agder be served by Lista and Gullknapp. [39] [40]

Related Research Articles

Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, was a Norwegian airline which operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in 2004 to become SAS Braathens. For most of its history, Braathens was the largest domestic airline in Norway, but did not operate an international network for many years. Its main hubs were Oslo Airport, Fornebu and later Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and briefly Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. The airline operated 118 aircraft of 15 models, the majority of which having been variations of the Boeing 737. Braathens served 53 airports and 50 cities with scheduled services through its history.

Sandefjord Airport, Torp Airport in Norway

Sandefjord Airport, Torp is an international airport located 4 nautical miles northeast of Sandefjord, Norway and 110 kilometers (68 mi) south of Oslo. The airport features a 2,989-meter (9,806 ft) runway aligned 18/36. Torp partially serves as a regional airport for Vestfold and in part as a low-cost airport for Eastern Norway and the capital, Oslo. Widerøe have a base at Torp, serving both domestic and international destinations. It also sees scheduled flights by Ryanair, Wizzair, and KLM Cityhopper. As of 2015, it is the third-largest airport in eastern Norway in terms of flights.

Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget

Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget is an international airport serving Kristiansund, Norway. It is situated at Kvernberget on the island of Nordlandet and is the sole scheduled airport serving Nordmøre. The airport features a 2,390-meter (7,840 ft) runway aligned 07/25. In addition to scheduled services operated by Scandinavian Airlines and Widerøe, it serves offshore helicopter traffic to the Norwegian Sea operated by CHC Helikopter Service. Kvernberget handled 314,084 passengers in 2018.

Bergen Airport, Flesland International airport serving Bergen, Norway

Bergen Airport, Flesland, 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 second-busiest airport in Norway, with 6,306,623 passengers in 2018. Flesland is operated by the state-owned Avinor. Until 1999 Flesland Air Station of the Norwegian Air Force was co-located at the airport.

Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik

Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) by road and 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) by air from the center of town of Kristiansand. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it is the sole airport in Southern Norway with scheduled flights. Kjevik has a 2,035-meter (6,677 ft) runway aligned 03/21 and served 1,061,130 passengers in 2018. Scheduled flights are provided by Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Widerøe, KLM Cityhopper and Wizz Air. The Royal Norwegian Air Force has a training center at the airport.

Tromsø Airport, Langnes

Tromsø Airport, Langnes is an international airport located at Langnes in the city of Tromsø in Tromsø Municipality, Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Situated on the western shore of the island of Tromsøya, it features a 2,447-meter (8,028 ft) runway aligned 01/19. Owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, Langnes handled 1,910,692 passengers, 43,219 aircraft movements and 2,758 tonnes of cargo in 2014. This makes Tromsø the fifth-busiest airport in the country.

Oslo Airport, Fornebu 1939-1998 airport in Oslo, Norway.

Oslo Airport, 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 redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one 2,370-metre (7,780 ft) 06/24 and one 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) 01/19, and a capacity of 20 aircraft. In 1996, the airport had 170,823 aircraft movements and 10,072,054 passengers. The airport served as a hub for Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Braathens SAFE and Widerøe. In 1996, they and 21 other airlines served 28 international destinations. Due to limited terminal and runway capacity, intercontinental and charter airlines used Gardermoen. The Royal Norwegian Air Force retained offices at Fornebu.

Ålesund Airport, Vigra

Ålesund Airport, Vigra, 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 features a 2,314-meter (7,592 ft) runway aligned 07/25. The airport served 1,077,209 passengers in 2013, making it the tenth-busiest airport in the country. Scheduled services are provided domestically to Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)¸ Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe. International scheduled services are provided by KLM Cityhopper, Norwegian, SAS and Wizz Air.

Haugesund Airport, Karmøy

Haugesund Airport, Karmøy is an international airport serving the Haugaland region in Norway. It is located just outside the town of Haugesund on the Helganes peninsula on the island of Karmøy in the municipality of Karmøy, Rogaland county, Norway. The airport features a 2,120-meter (6,960 ft) runway aligned 13/31. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and Norwegian Air Shuttle provide services to Oslo. Haugesund Airport also offers discounts on international routes and has some service from low-cost carriers. The airport handled 694,005 passengers in 2014.

Skien Airport, Geiteryggen

Skien Airport, Geiteryggen is a regional airport located at Geiteryggen, 5.5 kilometers (3.4 mi) southwest of the city center of Skien, Norway. Owned by Skien Municipality, it was last served by Widerøe with daily flights to Bergen. The runway is 1,416-by-30-meter and numbered 01–19. The airport had 33,080 passengers in 2014 and has Grenland and the southern part of Telemark as its catchment area.

Røros Airport

Røros Airport is a regional airport located 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from the town of Røros in Trøndelag county, Norway. The asphalt runway has the physical dimensions 1,740 by 40 meters and is aligned 14/32. Scheduled services are provided to Oslo by Widerøe. The main general aviation user is Rørosfly, a pilot school, and the aviation club Røros Flyklubb.

Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen

Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen is an international airport located at Høybuktmoen, 15 kilometers (9 mi) west of the town of Kirkenes, in the municipality of Sør-Varanger, Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, the airport has a single 2,115-by-45-meter asphalt runway numbered 05-23. Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle operate Boeing 737-services to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, in part generated by Høybuktmoen's function as a hub for Widerøe's regional services to other airports in eastern Finnmark. There are also summer charter flights to Central Europe to bring tourists to the Hurtigruten cruises. The airport had 297,149 passengers in 2013.

Notodden Airport, Tuven

Notodden Airport, Tuven is a municipal regional airport at Heddal in Notodden, a municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, and has extensive sailplane activity. Bergen Air Transport operates the airport's only scheduled route, six times per week to Bergen Airport, Flesland. In 2011, the airport had 5,078 aircraft movements and 3,423 passengers. The airport has a single 1,393-by-40-meter runway with flight information service and instrument landing system. In connection with the airport is a water aerodrome, which uses the lake of Heddalsvatnet for take-off and landing.

Hasvik Airport Airport in Hasvik, Norway

Hasvik Airport is a regional airport serving Hasvik Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The airport is located in the village of Hasvik on the island of Sørøya. In 2012, Hasvik Airport had 7,629 passengers, making it the third-least busy airport operated by the state-owned Avinor. The airport consists of a 909-meter (2,982 ft) runway and is served by Widerøe with Dash 8-100 aircraft.

Berlevåg Airport

Berlevåg Airport is a regional airport serving Berlevåg Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The airport is situated 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) northwest of the village of Berlevåg and is owned and operated by Avinor. The airport has a 880-meter (2,890 ft) runway aligned 06/24. Services are provided by Widerøe using Dash 8-100 aircraft to other communities in Finnmark. The airport served 5,921 passengers in the terminal and received the most subsidies per passenger of any Avinor airport. A further 8,948 landed and started at the airport without leaving the aircraft.

Lista Air Station

Lista Air Station was a military airbase situated on the Lista peninsula in Farsund, Norway. It features a 2,990-meter (9,810 ft) concrete runway aligned 14/32, and a 1,521-meter (4,990 ft) runway aligned 09/27. The facility was shared with Farsund Airport, Lista, which remains in operation.

History of Braathens SAFE (1946–93)

Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S or Braathens SAFE was founded by ship-owner Ludvig G. Braathen in 1946. It started as a charter airline based at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen in Norway, flying to destinations in the Far East and in South America. At first the airline used Douglas DC-4s, and later also Douglas DC-3s. In 1948, the airline moved to Oslo Airport, Fornebu and started regular scheduled flights to the Far East. In 1952, the airline started cooperation with the Icelandic airline Loftleidir, where until 1960 the two airlines in cooperation flew flights to Reykjavík. Domestic services started in 1951, using de Havilland Herons on a route from Oslo to Stavanger via Tønsberg. Braathens SAFE also established at Stavanger Airport, Sola. A second route was started two years later to Trondheim. The Heron routes also stopped in Farsund, Kristiansand, Notodden to Stavanger and Hamar, Røros to Trondheim.

Arendal Airport, Gullknapp

Arendal Airport, Gullknapp is a general aviation airport situated at Blakstadheia in Froland, Norway. It consists of a single 1,120-meter (3,650 ft) asphalt runway aligned 05/23. The airport is located about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from the town center of Arendal.

Nordsjøfly A/S was an airline which operated from 1977 to 1983 out of Haugesund Airport, Karmøy. Based in Avaldsnes in Karmøy, Norway, the airline used a mix of aircraft to operate scheduled and charter flights. It was started at the time of Haugesund Airport opening and commenced a taxi route service to Bergen and Stavanger, at first using the Piper PA-31 Chieftain and a Beechcraft 99 Queenliner.

Air Stord A/S was an airline which operated between 1990 and 1999. Based at Stord Airport, Sørstokken, it operated a fleet of Beechcraft Super King Air and later Dornier 328 aircraft.

References

  1. Ettrup: 64
  2. Ettrup: 65
  3. Ettrup: 66
  4. 1 2 Arheim: 227
  5. Tjomsland & Wilsberg: 106
  6. Tjomsland & Wilsberg: 118
  7. "Lista mister anløp av Braathen-fly". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 24 February 1959. p. 12.
  8. Conradi, Thor C. (14 October 1974). "Skyhøya avgifter for norsk luftfart". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). p. 14.
  9. Hjort-Larsen, Arvid (30 December 1977). "Lista uten brannmenn". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). p. 14.
  10. Tjomsland & Wilsberg: 272
  11. Melling: 171
  12. Melling: 181
  13. Melling: 200
  14. Melling: 289
  15. Hjelmeland
  16. 1 2 Office of the Auditor General of Norway: 3
  17. Office of the Auditor General of Norway: 2
  18. 1 2 Berglihn, Harald (9 May 1996). "Redere sørger for flyrute til Lista". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 12.
  19. Bø, Trond (25 May 1996). "Flyplass gjenåpner etter åtte år: Lista på lufta igjen". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 6.
  20. Furnes, Hilde Mari (20 February 1999). "Slutt for Air Stord". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 4.
  21. 1 2 Office of the Auditor General of Norway: 5
  22. Office of the Auditor General of Norway: 4
  23. Jacobsen, Hans E. H. (8 February 2005). "Forsvaret sløste bort 53 mill. på Lista". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). p. 3.
  24. Nilsen, anne Torhild (7 June 2007). "Avslappet forhold til gransking" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  25. Ettrup: 68
  26. Gustavsen: 2
  27. 1 2 "Larger innsjø av sump" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  28. Aarkvisla, Mette (2 March 2010). "Lista Air Show". Flynytt (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  29. "Warbird Airshow ønsker på nytt velkommen til Lista Airshow 30 og 31 juli" (in Norwegian). Warbird Airshow. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  30. "Om Lista Flyklubb" (in Norwegian). Lista Flyklubb. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  31. "Forvandler flyplass om til gigantisk actioncamp for barn og ungdom" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  32. 1 2 Gustafsen: 15
  33. 1 2 Hjelmeland: 40
  34. Gustafsen: 14
  35. Hjelmeland: 43
  36. 1 2 Brøvig, Gunnar (20 October 2005). "Kjevik og Lista er komplementære". Fædrelandsvennen (in Norwegian). p. 5.
  37. Svindland, Kåre (22 May 2006). "Helikopterbase på Lista?". Fædrelandsvennen (in Norwegian). p. 6.
  38. Lillevangstu, Ole (15 October 2005). "Rullebane til besvær". Fædrelandsvennen (in Norwegian). p. 1.
  39. Svindland, Kåre (12 October 2005). "Lista Flyplass er løsningen". Fædrelandsvennen (in Norwegian). p. 5.
  40. Corneliussen, Helge (24 March 2006). "–Gullknapp må bli hovedflyplass". Fædrelandsvennen (in Norwegian). p. 4.

Bibliography