Record Traffic at Expanding Vagar Airport

The past year was the busiest ever in the history of the Faroe Islands as its international gateway, Vagar Airport, handled 225,532 passengers, up 10.8 per cent on the previous year. With its runway significantly extended, Vagar Airport now enters within the direct reach of more foreign airports - a likely game changer that could usher in a new level of connectivity between the Faroe Islands and the rest of the world.

The start to 2013 is also looking promising. Across the first quarter of the year there has seen a rise of 10.3 per cent, or some 2,000 passengers, compared with the same period in 2012. This represents a remarkable 30 per cent growth on the same period ten years ago, equivalent to three per cent annual growth in a market with only a small population.

The Faroese Government has invested in extending the current runway from 1,250 metres to 1,799 meters, a project that was completed in December 2011. There has also been investment in new instruments aimed at improving regularity, with the last of these commissioned in August 2012. In addition, the Government is investing in a new airport terminal, expected to be completed in May 2014.

“We want to work closely with the Faroese operators and other operators that are interested in the Faroese market – a growing high yield market in the North Atlantic,” Jákup Sverri Kass, Chief Executive Officer, Vagar Airport told The HUB during a recent interview. “Air transport is the main Faroese freeway to Europe and we want to help promote traffic onto that freeway. The investment in a longer runway and new instruments has made the Faroe Islands more accessible to both smaller and larger aircraft and has improved regularity.”

“Air transport is the main Faroese freeway to Europe and we want to help promote traffic onto that freeway. The investment in a longer runway and new instruments has made the Faroe Islands more accessible to both smaller and larger aircraft and has improved regularity.”

Jákup Sverri Kass
Chief Executive Officer, Vagar Airport

The recent investment from national carrier Atlantic Airways in a single Airbus A319 has helped support the airport’s aspirations and the recent announcement that two additional aircraft will join its fleet should enable new international destinations to be added to the route map from Vagar. Atlantic Airways last year opened seasonal; scheduled flights to Barcelona and will add Milan to its network in 2013.

“Vagar Airport wants to become more active in partnership with others wishing to promote traffic between the Faroe Islands and Europe. Atlantic Airways has been given a discount in passenger fees for a limited period aimed at raising the passenger numbers, as well incentive discounts when launching new routes,” said Jákup Sverri Kass

“Vagar Airport wants to promote traffic between the Faroe Islands and the rest of the world – and we welcome inquires form anyone considering an aviation venture that might include the Faroe Islands. We are willing to look at any business case and welcome approaches from all that might be interested starting up any kind of route between the Faroe Islands and Europe” he added.

A few years ago a panel of experts with National Geographic Traveller ranked the Faroe Islands as the world’s most appealing island destination and the airport’s management is working with Government officials, local hoteliers and travel companies to further push the destination’s tourism appeal. In the last few years Faroese operators have also worked on developing the Faroe Islands as a destination for conferences, while using the natural landscape as an ideal playground for team building activities.

“Our status as a relatively remote island community will hardly change; but we can make it easier for people to opt for the Faroe Islands. They can always go and see that European castle or lakeside, whereas the Faroe Islands will be very different. We’ve already made promising inroads into foreign markets as a destination that can offer once-in-a-life-time experiences in the wild, only a moment away from your hotel or conference venue,” concluded Jákup Sverri Kass.

In the table below we highlight the eight largest bi-directional O&D markets from Vagar Airport. The largest market is to the Danish capital Copenhagen, a route served regularly by Atlantic Airways and which accounted for over 70 per cent of the total O&D air traffic to/from the Faroe Islands last year.