Widerøes Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a Norwegian regional airline, and the largest regional airline operating in the Nordic countries. The airline's fleet of 48 aircraft includes 45 De Havilland Dash 8 turboprops as well as three Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, serving 49 domestic and international destinations. Widerøe has a turnover of NOK3.5 billion; carries 2.8 million annual passengers; has 3,500 employees and performs 450 take-offs and landings each day.[3]
The company's head offices are in Bodø Airport, which is the airline's largest base although it also retains a large administrative center in Oslo and a smaller office in Mosjøen.[4] The main bases are Sandefjord, Bodø, Tromsø, Bergen, and Oslo. Widerøe also has a technical base in Florø.
History
The airline was established in 1934 by Viggo Widerøe, a Norwegian aviator, and was engaged in various general aviation activities in its early days. In 1936, Widerøe started scheduled seaplane flights and, from 1940, also ambulance flights. During the 1940s and 1950s, the airline increased its seaplane routes and established a fleet based on De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter and Noorduyn Norseman aircraft. From 1968, Widerøe started flying to STOLports in northern and western Norway using DHC-6 Twin Otters, and later also with Dash 7 aircraft. In 1989, Widerøe bought Norsk Air and started services from Sandefjord.
Widerøe was established on the foundations of two small aircraft operators. The first was the company Lotsberg & Skappel. The other was Widerøe & Bjørneby, which was founded by Viggo Widerøe and Halvor Bjørneby. During the winter, they stationed aircraft at mountain resorts and made revenue from flying skiers into the wilderness. Aerial advertising flights were introduced, in which a company or product name was painted on an aircraft's fuselage, with a neon-light version underneath, and leaflets dropped mid-flight.[5]
On 19 February 1934, Widerøe's Flyveselskap A/S was founded by Viggo Widerøe, Einar Isdahl, and Arild Widerøe. In 1935, the company started in the cartography business. In 1937, the company made 44 flights along the coast of Antarctica, covering 4000 km of coast at least 50 km inland. These flights were ordered by Lars Christensen for cartography. During 1938, the company's Bogstad workshop and Birger Hønningstad started a joint venture in which Widerøe built Hønningstad Norge aircraft.
Following the outbreak of World War II, all pilots were conscripted into the military and there was a ban on civilian aviation. In 1940, the company started air ambulance flights for the military. Following the German invasion of Norway, many of Widerøe's pilots and aircraft were flown to Mjøsa where they served as part of the defence. All civilian aircraft were grounded during the occupation, and German authorities demanded that magnetos and propellers be handed in. The workshop at Bogstad was kept busy with the production of ambulance sleds for the German military. In secret, the company also started building the Hønningstad C-5 Polar ambulance aircraft at Bogstad.[6]
After the liberation of Norway in 1945, there was still a flight ban, and the employees at Bogstad were hired by the Royal Norwegian Air Force at Oslo Airport, Fornebu. The company received permission to fly from 2 February 1946. In 1947, Forenede Industrier bought the majority of the company. Viggo Widerøe was again hired as managing director.[7]
In 1948, the company merged with Narvik-based Polarfly, and changed its name to Widerøe's Flyveselskap & Polarfly A/S. The following year, the company began an aerial photography operation. In 1953, the company chose to differentiate and started production of emergency rafts; refrigerated garages in aluminium; and thermoelements for industry. In 1954, the company received a subcontract from Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), the successor of DNL, to operate a seaplane route from Tromsø via Alta, Hammerfest, and Kirkenes to Vadsø. For this route, the company bought its first De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter.[8] On 1 July 1958, the company changed its name back to Widerøe's Flyveselskap A/S.
In 1969, Per Bergsland replaced Viggo Widerøe as CEO. In 1970, the company was split in two: the aerial photography division was sold to competitor Fjellanger, and the new company Fjellanger Widerøe was created. Scheduled services remained with Widerøe. The airline's last seaplane was decommissioned in 1971. In April 1980, Widerøe started an international service on behalf of SAS.
During the 1990s, Widerøe replaced all its aircraft with Dash 8 aircraft; in the 2000s it was bought by the SAS Group and took over SAS Commuter's operations in northern Norway. In 2010, Widerøe took over regional SAS services in western Norway. In 2013, SAS Group sold 80% of the shares to WF Holding, an investment company controlled by Torghatten ASA, and in June 2016 the remaining 20% of the shares were also transferred to WF Holding, ending SAS ownership of Widerøe. The airline remained a close regional partner of SAS until 2023.[9] In July 2023, Norwegian Air Shuttle announced a deal to acquire Widerøe for NOK1.125 billion (US$104 million), which was finalised in January 2024.[10][11][12]
Public service obligation services to regional airports make up slightly less than half of Widerøe's operations. The remaining services are to primary airports in northern Norway, and services from Sandefjord and Bergen to other primary airports, and some international services from Oslo, Sandefjord, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, and Trondheim. Widerøe's operations are focused on point-to-point transit, although the airline essentially feeds medium-haul and international airlines. Widerøe has interlining agreements with other airlines.
Destinations
Widerøe has been awarded public service obligation contracts by the Ministry of Transport and Communications to connect regional airports to primary airports. Twenty-five such airports were served in a contract running from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012, with the company having lost the bid for services to three. The services connect smaller communities and towns to regional centers and to primary airports that provide onwards service with jet aircraft.
Eight airports in Finnmark county and one in Troms county are connected to Tromsø Airport, with a limited number of services also connecting to two of the three primary airports in Finnmark—Alta and Kirkenes. Between Tromsø and Bodø, Widerøe serves six airports, of which two connect to Tromsø and all to Bodø. South of Bodø, there are six airports in Helgeland and Namdalen, which are all connected to Bodø and Trondheim Airport, Værnes. In Sogn og Fjordane and Sunnmøre, Widerøe connects four airports to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and Bergen Airport, Flesland.[13]
Widerøe's main domestic routes between primary airports are from its base at Sandefjord Airport, Torp. Services are provided up to five times per day to Trondheim, Stavanger and Bergen, as well as seasonal services to Bodø and Tromsø. In Northern Norway, Widerøe operates some services connecting primary airports, including the links from Tromsø to Alta, Hammerfest, Kirkenes and Vadsø Airport, and connecting Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes to Tromsø, Bodø and Trondheim.[13]
Fleet
Current fleet
As of August 2025, Widerøe operates the following aircraft:[21]
Fleet development
Between 2000 and 2018, the airline operated exclusively De Havilland Canada/Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. As of 2018, Widerøe was the world's largest operator of the Dash 8-100 series, after Piedmont Airlines retired their fleet. As of 2013, Widerøe is the first and only airline in the world to operate every single variant of the Dash 8 simultaneously, and is one of the few airlines to ever operate all variants of the Dash 8, as well as the older DHC-6 Twin Otter and Dash 7.
In January 2017, Widerøe announced it had signed a contract with Embraer for up to 15 new Embraer E190-E2 jets, with firm orders for three E190-E2 aircraft and purchase rights on 12 more jets from the Embraer E2 family.[22]
Service
Norwegian Reward frequent flyer points can be earned on all international routes and certain commercial domestic routes. Points can be redeemed on international routes and domestic non PSO routes.
Incidents and accidents
- On 5 March 1964, a Douglas DC-3 caught fire before takeoff at Oslo Airport, Fornebu. All 18 occupants survived, but the aircraft was written off.[26]
- On 28 March 1968, an Otter seaplane crashed at Rossfjordstraumen. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was written off.[27]
- On 11 March 1982, Widerøe Flight 933, operated by a Twin Otter registered LN-BNK, crashed into the Barents Sea near Gamvik, en route from Berlevåg Airport to Mehamn Airport. All investigations have concluded that the crash resulted from the structural failure of the aircraft's tail caused by severe clear-air turbulence. However, there has been significant controversy surrounding this, as claims have been made that the aircraft collided with a Harrier jump jet of the British Royal Air Force flying outside its designated operations area during a NATO exercise.[28]
External links
References
- Widerøe on ch-aviation.com ch-aviation.com, retrieved 21 November 2023^
- Management in Widerøe www.wideroe.no, retrieved 21 September 2024^
- About Widerøe www.wideroe.no^