GEOGRAPHY
REVAMPING VAGAR AIRPORT
In the hope that commercial flights will become cheaper and the fledgling Faroese tourism sector be given a boost, an ambitious step is being taken to generate more air traffic in the Faroe Islands: the extension of Vagar Airport.
T
HE FAROESE Government has decided to move forward with its
plan to extend the country’s only airport
by almost 50 percent to a total length of
1800 meters, commencing construction
in the spring of 2010. Apart from pro-
viding much-needed additional runway
length, the 412 million dkk (55m eur) development project—largely funded by the ‘Investment Fund for the Faroe
Islands’—includes an expansion of the
airport terminal with the aim of enhancing existing services as well as adding new facilities.
The overall purpose, according to
Vagar Airport chief executive Dávid
become cheaper while inbound tourism
growing over a number of years while at
The decision to add 550 meters of
at the political level to suggest that ef-
Reinert Hansen, is multilayered: to
will be likely to rise.
for more traffic, and open the door to
length to the 1,250 m airport runway
pectation that commercial flights to and
options and economic viability.
increase runway capacity, make way
international competition, with the ex- follows long years of debate over various from the Faroe Islands should generally
forts must be made to induce some of the bright and well educated to return to
their home land. The price tag is seen as a
“I think most people will appreci- key barrier for those who might consider
ate the solution arrived at,” Mr. Reinert
moving back to the Faroes—in other
MARIA OLSEN
Hansen said. “The extension is a signifi- words, they would consider it on condicant leap forward and will make it pos- tion they could travel more cheaply, and sible for the airport to handle larger air- thereby more frequently.
craft. This in turn will enable operators
to bring larger numbers of passengers per
flight, which again will generate more
revenues per flight. That, we believe, will ultimately make it possible for airlines to
offer tickets at lower prices.”
The implications of all that can
be quite significant. For one thing, the
number of Faroese expatriates has been 18 • 2010 Faroe Business Report
the same time a consensus has developed