Akureyri Airport

Akureyri Airport (Icelandic: Akureyrarflugvöllur) (IATA: AEY, ICAO: BIAR) is a single-runway international airport in Akureyri, Iceland 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the town centre. Air Iceland and Norlandair link the airport with several domestic locations.

Akureyri Airport

Akureyrarflugvöllur
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerIsavia
ServesAkureyri
Elevation AMSL6 ft / 2 m
Coordinates65°39′40″N 18°04′20″W
Websiteisavia.is
Map
AEY
Location of Airport in Iceland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01/19 2,400 7,874 Asphalt
Statistics
Aircraft movements (2018)[1]15,493
Passengers (2018)[1]202,252
Cargo (2018)[1]302 tons
Airport data: AIP Iceland[2] GCM[3] Google Maps[4]

The Akureyri VOR-DME (Ident: AKI) is 6.2 nautical miles north-northeast of the airport. The Hvammur non-directional beacon (Ident: HV) is 1.5 nautical miles off the runway 01 threshold.[5][6][7]

History

Scheduled air travel to Akureyri started in 1928 when Flugfélag Íslands ("Airline of Iceland") began flying on seaplanes to Reykjavík, landing on the fjord of Eyjafjörður near downtown Akureyri. The airline was short-lived, as it ceased operations after only three years. Another airline, Flugfélag Akureyrar ("Airline of Akureyri"), was founded in 1937 and in 1940 it changed its name to Flugfélag Íslands, though it was in no way affiliated with its predecessor. In 1944, Loftleiðir started flying from Reykjavík on Grumman Goose seaplanes, which added competition to the popular route.[8]

It was not until the early 1950s that construction of the airport itself started on top of a landfill on the delta of Eyjafjörður river, a few kilometres from the town's center.[9] A new terminal was constructed in 1961. It was renovated in 2000 to better equip the airport for International flights.[10]

In 1952, Loftleiðir decided to cease domestic flights and to concentrate on international flights to Europe and North America. This left Flugfélag Íslands alone on the route, operating Douglas DC-3 aircraft until 1973. In 1965, the airline introduced the Fokker F27 to its domestic fleet. It replaced this craft with the Fokker 50 in 1992, which is still used in domestic flights to this day.[8]

In 1973, Loftleiðir and Flugfélag Íslands merged into Icelandair. One year later, a new airline was founded in Akureyri, Flugfélag Norðurlands, and operated numerous domestic flights and charter flights to Greenland.[8]

In 1997, The domestic division of Icelandair merged with Flugfélag Norðurlands to form Flugfélag Íslands (the third airline with that name), or Air Iceland Connect as it is called in English.[8]

In 2006, Mýflug, under a contract with the Icelandic government, began providing ambulance flight service to Iceland, with a specially equipped aircraft based at Akureyri airport. In 2008, the operation was moved to the newly built Hangar 13.[11]

In 2008, Norlandair was founded, which serves destinations in north-eastern Iceland in cooperation with Air Iceland and operates various charter flights to Greenland.[12]

In the summer of 2009, Isavia completed an almost two year runway renovation program. It included lengthening the runway by 500 metres to the south, improving runway lighting and enhancing the approach system. In 2010, a new instrument landing system approach navigational aid was installed.

In the future, Isavia plans to expand the passenger terminal and ramp area. This is to better suit the needs of larger aircraft and an increasing number of passengers, and also to establish a safe alternate airport for flights to Keflavík Airport, Iceland's largest airport.[13] The need for a larger terminal and ramp was obvious during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, when many international flights were operated from Akureyri after Keflavík airport was closed due to volcanic ash. Passenger numbers were far above the terminal's capacity and a limited amount of ramp space was available for large aircraft.[14]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Air Iceland Connect Reykjavík
Seasonal: Reykjavík–Keflavík
Norlandair Grímsey, Nerlerit Inaat, Vopnafjörður, Þórshöfn
Transavia Seasonal: Amsterdam,[15] Rotterdam[16]

See also

References
  1. https://www.isavia.is/media/1/12-2018-tolur-fyrir-vefsiduna.pdf
  2. AIP Iceland from the Icelandic CAA
  3. Airport information for AEY at Great Circle Mapper.
  4. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  5. "Akureyri VOR-DME (AKI) @ OurAirports". ourairports.com. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  6. "Hvammur NDB (HV) @ OurAirports". ourairports.com. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  7. "SkyVector: Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts". skyvector.com. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  8. Summary of Iceland's aviation history, Flugsafn.is(in Icelandic)
  9. Report on renovations to Akureyri Airport, Town of Akureyri Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine(in Icelandic)
  10. "Flugstodir – Iceland Aviation History". flugstodir.is. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  11. "Myflug Air - Air ambulance/Charter flights/Air sightseeing/Flight calibration". Myflug Air. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  12. "Norlandair.is". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  13. "Fréttir - flugmál < Flugmál < Málaflokkar < Samgönguráðuneyti". wayback.vefsafn.is. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  14. "Reykjavik Airport Closure April 2010 : Iceland Flights". iceland-flights.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  15. https://turisti.is/2019/05/fargjoldin-fra-akureyri-til-hollands-hafa-haekkad-hratt/
  16. "Transavia volgend jaar vanaf Rotterdam naar IJsland". luchtvaartnieuws.nl. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.

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