- Vágar Airport
Infobox Airport
name = Vágar Airport
nativename = _fo. Vága Floghavn _da. Vágar Lufthavn
caption =Atlantic Airways Avro RJ at Vágar Airport
IATA = FAE
ICAO = EKVG
type = Civil
owner =
operator = Civil Aviation Administration
city-served =
location =Sørvágur ,Faroe Islands
elevation-f = 280
elevation-m = 85
coordinates = nowrap|coord|62|03|49|N|007|16|37|W|type:airport_region:FO
website = [http://www.floghavn.fo/ www.floghavn.fo]
metric-rwy = y
r1-number = 13/31
r1-length-m = 1,250
r1-length-f = 4,101
r1-surface =Asphalt
footnotes = Source:DAFIF WAD|EKVG|source=DAFIF ] GCM|FAE|source=DAFIF ]
stat-year = 2007
stat1-header = Passengers
stat1-data = 219329Vágar Airport ( _fo. Vága Floghavn, _da. Vágar Lufthavn) airport codes|FAE|EKVG is the only airport in the
Faroe Islands , a self-governing territory ofDenmark . Due to the Faroe Islands' rather anomalous status, the airport is not fully subject to the rules of theEuropean Union . It is the main operating base for Faroese national airlineAtlantic Airways and, for a short period, during 2006, the low cost airlineFaroeJet .History
The airport was built by British
Royal Engineers duringWorld War II on the island ofVágar . The site was chosen mainly because it was hard to see from the surrounding waters and any potential German warship. "(SeeBritish occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II )."Today
Since
2002 Vágar has had atoll road connection via atunnel to the neighbouring island ofStreymoy , upon which the Faroese capitalTórshavn is situated.On May 1st, 2007, the airport was handed over to Faroese control by the Danish Civil Aviation Authority. [ [http://www.slv.dk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=513&Itemid=61 Statens Luftfartsvæsen: Færøerne overtager Vagar Lufthavn] ] There are proposals to expand the airport and lengthen the runway.
A number of domestic Faroese destinations can be reached from Vágar by the Atlantic Airways helicopter service. International destinations include
Copenhagen ,Aalborg andBillund in Denmark,Reykjavík in Iceland,Aberdeen ,London and Sumburgh (Shetland) in theUnited Kingdom , andOslo andStavanger inNorway . At present, due to the short length of the runway, it has transverse grooves to improve braking action. Furthermore, emergency turn-off areas, close to each end of the runway, with broken stones have been established. Damage to aircraft using the areas may be expected. The short runway means that only short takeoff and landing (STOL ) aircraft such as theBAe 146 can use the airport. [ [http://www.slv.dk/Dokumenter/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-615/EK_AD_2_EKVG_en.pdf AIP Vágar - Faroe Islands] ]Airlines and destinations
*
Air Iceland (Reykjavík)
*Atlantic Airways (Aalborg, Aberdeen, Billund, Copenhagen, London-Stansted, Narsarsuaq, Oslo, Reykjavík, Shetland Islands, Stavanger, Stockholm-Arlanda)
*Atlantic Airways , helicopter service (Dímun, Froðba, Hattarvík, Kirkja, Klaksvík, Koltur, Mykines, Skúvoy, Svínoy, Tórshavn)The helicopter services go to islands off the main islands and also make landings in the biggest towns. Some of these islands have less than 10 inhabitants.
Ground transport
There are bus services about 10 times each direction per day between the airport and Tórshavn. They take one hour. The tunnel "
Vágatunnilin " (4,9 km) connects the airport and theVágar island to the main cities and villages in the Faroe islands.Accidents and incidents
On
3 August 1996 , aGulfstream III [http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0585252/L/ (picture)] of theDanish Air Force crashed during final approach to Vágar Airport in bad weather and poor visibility. Nine people, including the Chief of Defence and his wife, perished as the aircraft collided with high terrain surrounding the airport.References
External links
* [http://www.floghavn.fo/ Vágar Airport] , official site
* [http://www.portal.fo/cam/webcam.php?kamera=91 Webcam]
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