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.jpg) Atlantic AirwaysAirbus A320neo | |||||||
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| Founded | 10 November 1987; 38 years ago (1987-11-10) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Vágar Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Súlubonus | ||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Destinations | 12 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Sørvágur,Faroe Islands | ||||||
| Key people | Jóhanna á Bergi(CEO) | ||||||
| Revenue | DKK 410.2 million (2021) | ||||||
| Website | atlanticairways.com | ||||||
Atlantic Airways (Faroese:Atlantsflog) is the national airline of theFaroe Islands, operating domestichelicopter services and international passenger services as well assearch and rescue responsibilities from its base atVágar Airport, on the Faroese island ofVágar.[2] Most of its pilots are members of theFaroese Pilot Association. Its 2021 revenue was 410.2mm DKK.[3]
Regular scheduled air links to the Faroes had been in operation withIcelandair from 1963, between the islands,Denmark,Scotland andIceland.[4] Although the airport at Vágar had been constructed by theBritish Army duringWorld War II, air traffic to the islands was limited in the 1960s. In 1971, more regular services toCopenhagen began withMaersk Air. Calls for the creation of a Faroese airline company began in the early 1980s. Passenger numbers were steadily increasing and Danish carrier Maersk Air enjoyed the monopoly as the sole airline to serve the Faroe Islands.
As a result, Atlantic Airways was established in 1987, initially between theFaroese government (51%) and Danish airlineCimber Air (49%), though the Faroese government would assume full ownership in 1989. Flights commenced betweenVágar andCopenhagen on 28 March 1988 using aBritish Aerospace 146. Ahangar was built at Vágar by the Faroese government in order to secure Atlantic Airways' home base in the Faroes, ensuringmaintenance facilities were available on the islands.
The aim of the new airline company was to build up a Faroese aviation industry on a commercial basis and to ensure the Faroe Islands an air connection with the outside world. Flight crews and management were Faroese.
Though load factors were high and the new service was popular, Atlantic Airways had a turbulent beginning economically. The Faroe Islands suffered a severeeconomic depression in the early 1990s, and at its nadir in 1992, the Faroese government delivered 75 mDKK in aid to the struggling carrier. Atlantic Airways would not become profitable until 1995.
Flights were launched toReykjavík in 1995 in co-operation withIcelandair, and also toNarsarsuaq in Greenland in the summer months, in co-operation withIcelandair. The latter half of the 1990s sawBillund in Denmark andAberdeen in the UK added to Atlantic Airways' flight schedule. In 2004, Icelandair ceased operating their own flights to Vágar, albeit retaining their partnership with Atlantic Airways.[5] Maersk Air also ceased flights to Vágar in 2004, leaving Atlantic Airways as the only regularly scheduled operator to the Faroe Islands.[6]
The growing list of destinations and increasing passenger numbers, together with the stabilisation of the airline's finances, saw a secondBAe 146 added to the fleet in 2000. This new aircraft meant services toLondon Stansted in England and the Norwegian capitalOslo added to the network. Growth in tourism on the islands has also enabled flights toAalborg,Stavanger,Stord andEdinburgh. However, for the 2006 season services to Stord have been discontinued, and Edinburgh replaced by theShetland Islands. Atlantic Airways also entered the UK domestic market in 2006, becoming the only carrier to offer a direct service between Shetland and London, which it did on a twice weekly basis. The UK domestic operation ceased in 2008.
Atlantic Airways also operates a domestic service byhelicopter, in many instances a vital connection to many of the islands, which otherwise can only be reached by sea. The helicopter has proved a vital tool on the islands since the 1960s, when helicopters from Danishcoast guard vessels patrolling the Faroes undertook a variety of tasks, including ferrying equipment and supplies between the islands. The government hired a helicopter in 1978 for these tasks, but in the 1980s a commercial public helicopter service was launched linking each of the islands using twoBell 212 helicopters.
Initially, the helicopter service was a standalone company, SL Helicopters, but the decision to concentrate Faroese aviation into one firm led to the helicopter department becoming part of Atlantic Airways in 1994. The helicopters provide a round trip 'hopper' service to each of the islands, which is also ideal for tourists looking for aerial views. The company is required to have at least one helicopter operational and ready forsearch and rescue duties.
From approximately 2002 to 2007, Atlantic Airways has produced profits of between 8 and 13 millionDKK. The company has increased its turnover from 120 million in 1998 to 520 million DKK in 2006. Atlantic Airways employed 177 people at January 2007. Atlantic Airways was listed at theIceland Stock Exchange on 10 December 2007.
The Faroese government has decided on a privatisation process and has sold off 33% of the company in the first bidding round. The first day of trading was 10 December 2007.
The government had planned to sell 33% more in 2008, but this was cancelled due to the2008 financial crisis.[7][8]
The firstAirbus A319 for Atlantic Airways, registered OY-RCG, entered service in March 2012, with a modified livery. The runway at Vágar required an extension to properly accommodate this aircraft. The second and third Airbus 319s (OY-RCH and OY-RCI) entered service in May and October 2013 respectively. As the lease of these ran out by the end of 2016, only one was renewed while a brand newAirbus A320 was delivered.
On 3 June 2015,Jóhanna á Bergi became CEO of the company.[9] She is the first woman to become CEO of a Nordic airline.[10]
In December 2018, the airline submitted an application for commercial services to the United States.[11] As Atlantic Airways transitioned their fleet from Airbus A319s to A320s, they moved their Iceland flights toKeflavík International Airport in 2018, due to aircraft size restrictions atReykjavík Airport.[12]
On 13 March 2020, Atlantic Airways announced the suspension of all routes until 13 April 2020 except the route toCopenhagen due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[13]
On 22 August 2023, Atlantic Airways started to operate seven-hour flight weekly scheduled nonstop service between the U.S. and the Faroe Islands with service to the Faroe Islands on Wednesdays and flights toStewart International Airport on Tuesdays.[14] The carrier, which operates the route withAirbus A320neo, is the only one to use the aircraft type on transatlantic flights.[15] As of November 2024, flights to North America have been terminated, with no plans to restart.[16]
As of November 2024[update], Atlantic Airways serves the following scheduled destinations:[17]
Atlantic Airways also operates charters for Danish tour operators to destinations such as Italy, Portugal (Porto Santo), Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, France, Scotland, Norway and the Czech Republic, out of Copenhagen Kastrup and Billund airports.
There is domestic helicopter service[23] to the islands. The helicopters depart from Vágar Airport on Sunday, Monday (only in June, July, & August), Wednesday, and Friday.
The flights visit the capitalTórshavn and second largest townKlaksvík, the southern islandsSkúvoy,Stóra Dímun,Suðuroy (Froðba), the northern islandsSvínoy andFugloy (Hattarvík andKirkja) and the western islandMykines.
Atlantic Airways currently hascodeshare agreements with the following airlines:
As of August 2025[update], Atlantic Airways operates the following aircraft:[27]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Refs | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | ||||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | — | 174 | [28] | — | |
| Airbus A320neo | 2 | 2 | 174 | [28] | — | |
| Total | 4 | 2 | ||||
TheAgustaWestland AW139 is the only primary helicopter used for flights to district villages. With a capacity to seat 15 passengers, the helicopter is used to shuttle passengers in the Faroe Islands.
| Aircraft | In fleet | Orders | Passengers | Routes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | ||||||
| AgustaWestland AW139 | 2 | — | 15 | Domestic Charter SAR[29] | ||
| Total | 2 | — | ||||
BAe 146-200 One crashed inAtlantic Airways Flight 670.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)I forbindelse hermed må der nævnes den tragiske helikopterulykke ved Klaksvík i 1992, hvor helikopterne efter en patienttrasnport til Landssygehuset styrter på en fjeldside i en snebye. (In connection with this, the tragic helicopter accident at Klaksvík in 1992 must be mentioned, where the helicopters crashed on a mountain side in a snowstorm after a patient transport to the National Hospital.)
Media related toAtlantic Airways at Wikimedia Commons
