Vagar Airport sets another record
January 2016
With a 10, 4 percent increase in passenger-figures, Vagar Airport sets another record
Vagar Airport on the Faroe Islands posted strong gains in passenger-figures in 2015. The airport handled 276,385 passengers in 2015, compared to 250,000 passengers in 2014. The last four years the airport has experienced a growth of nearly 30 percent from apx. 200,000 till 276,385 passengers.
Setting records in 10 out of 12 months
It remains a fact that July with 40,000 passengers was the strongest month, followed by June and August. February, with 12,500 passengers remains the weakest month.
The growth was notable in the 10 months from March till December, and the growth is fueled by a strong domestic growth, Faroese labor working abroad and a growing tourism-industry.
“Vagar Airport has undergone a big transition the last three years. This remarkable growth has been made possible by the investments made in a longer runway and new navigational instruments. The regularity at Vagar Airport is now the highest that is has ever been”, says Jákup Sverri Kass, CEO at Vagar Airport
The future
Vagar Airport estimates that the growth is fueled by a strong domestic demand, Faroese labor working abroad and a growing tourism-industry. The Faroese economy is doing well with an unemployment-rate of only 2, 8 percent. Furthermore the last few years the taxation of the general public has fallen and has given a rise in the demand of travel. Also the Faroese Government has doubled the funding to Visit Faroe Islands and with a new identity and a very proactive CEO, Visit Faroe Islands is driving the growth in the tourism-industry, says Vagar Airport.
Atlantic Airways, the national carrier of the Faroe Islands, serve a number of routes to and from the Faroe Islands. In 2015, seasonal routes to London and Milano were cancelled. The cancelled routes were replaced by Mallorca and Edinburgh. No new routes have yet been announced for 2016.
Vagar Airport is very keen to attract new operators and new business and continues the dialog with potential operators that would consider including the Faroe Islands into their network.