Our history
In early November, Lasse Klein, government minister, puts a proposal before the Løgting to establish a Faroese airline. The Government is to own 51 per cent of the company, and the Danish company Cimber Air is to own 49 per cent. On 10 November the same year, Atlantic Airways is formally founded.
Atlantic Airways flies its first trip between the Faroe Islands and Denmark. It is a festive moment when the new aircraft sets off with the first passengers, heading for Copenhagen. Faroese hospitality and Faroese flight attendants lend their own special atmosphere on board.
Atlantic Review is published for the first time. From its very first day the magazine puts the emphasis on portraying the Faroe Islands and the Faroese people in interesting and well-written articles with good pictures.
Strandferðslan originally ran the helicopter service between the islands, but this year the country makes an agreement with Atlantic Airways to operate the flights. The company's operations now become more varied.
The company's first managing director, Heri Mortensen, steps down, and Magni Arge takes over as managing director. The company begins flying to Iceland in cooperation with Air Iceland. For the first time Atlantic Airways has a profit on its operations and sets out to develop routes to all the neighbouring countries.
The company's operations gain even more momentum when flights between Iceland and Greenland begin in cooperation with the Icelanders. The company also flies a number of charter flights between Copenhagen and Bosnia, where civil war raged between 1992 and 1995. Atlantic Airways is the first Nordic company to resume flights to Bosnia.
The company's flight operations have grown considerably, and the company needs an additional aircraft, which in the first instance is leased to the Faroe Islands. A route to Scotland is launched, and the number of flights between the Faroe Islands and Denmark is increased.
The company needs a lasting solution for its aircraft, because the expanded flight programme is very well received by the public, and the company also begins flying to Norway. Negotiations on buying the next aircraft are opened in October, and a contract is signed to hand the aircraft over to the company in February 2000.
Atlantic Airways takes its second aircraft into the fleet on 2 February. The aircraft is a British Aerospace - the same as the first aircraft. The company also gears up to make contracts on transport between Aberdeen and Vágar in connection with oil exploration around the Faroe Islands and rescue work for the Ministry of Fisheries.
Under a contract with the Ministry of Fisheries, the company is to procure a new rescue helicopter and to handle search and rescue around the Faroe Islands for the next 10 years. The rescue helicopter Bell 412 arrives in the Faroe Islands on Flag Day itself. The company also makes an agreement with Amerada Hess, BP and Statoil to fly crews from Aberdeen to Vágar and, together with Bristow Helicopters, to handle transport out to the drilling rigs. Direct flights from the Faroe Islands to London are also started.
The company's passenger numbers pass 100,000 for the first time. This is a large increase compared with 1995, when the figure was around 50,000. Included in the passenger figure are those who fly domestically with the helicopters. They make up seven per cent of all passengers, and those who fly with the aircraft make up 93 per cent. The increased supply creates increased demand.
Competition between Atlantic Airways and Mærsk Air intensifies when Mærsk introduces a new bonus scheme. Atlantic Airways responds with the Súla scheme, which is well received by the public. Mærsk gives up in October, and Atlantic Airways is left alone in operating the flights. The company buys its third aircraft and begins flying for Aker in Norway. The company also operates charter flights between Copenhagen and the Italian cities of Perugia and Ancona.
For the very first time an aircraft of the Airbus type sets down in the Faroe Islands. Many had doubted whether such a large aircraft could land on the runway at Vágar, but the approach and landing are handled without problems. The visit is a foretaste of new times at Atlantic Airways. The company buys its first Avro RJ aircraft from Swiss. The aircraft carries more passengers and flies further than the British Aerospace aircraft. The company wins the honour ‘Initiative of the Year’ at Vinnudagurin.
Atlantic Airways faces competition from the new Faroese airline FaroeJet. That company starts flying in May and continues until December, when it is forced to give up. Its equity is then used up. Atlantic Airways takes over FaroJet's aircraft and flies thousands of stranded Christmas travellers home from Denmark. On 10 October an Atlantic Airways aircraft runs off the runway at the airport in Stord in Norway. Four people lose their lives, among them the flight attendant Guðrun Hervør Joensen from Bø, 41 years old.
The company buys two further Avro RJ aircraft from Swiss and signs a contract with SAS on extensive flight operations between Copenhagen and, for example, London and Stavanger. One third of Atlantic Airways is privatised, and the company is listed on the stock market in Iceland, ICEX. After the listing the company is put to the test every day on the financial market, where investors can buy and sell shares in the company. The company is honoured as apprenticeship workplace of the year in the Danish Realm.
On 30 January Atlantic Airways makes a contract with Airbus to build a new aircraft of the Airbus 319 type. The aircraft will be considerably larger than the British Aerospace aircraft that have been in use since the beginning, and has room for 144 passengers. The aircraft will also be able to fly much longer stretches non-stop, for example to the countries around the Mediterranean. In the spring a new Augusta Westland 139 helicopter joins the fleet.
The company has a loss for the first time since 1994. The financial crisis, declining activity and a crisis in the international aviation industry are the cause of the loss. The company has put extensive measures in place to adjust its operations. When staffing was at its highest, the company had 285 employees, and seven aircraft flew around 15,000 hours. Two aircraft leave the fleet, the number of flights falls, charter operations decrease considerably, and the number of employees drops to 165.
Atlantic Airways again has a profit on its operations. The profit is DKK 12.3 million after tax, compared with a loss of DKK 6.6 million the year before, even though ash clouds from Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland leave air traffic paralysed for several weeks. Equity is now DKK 227 million and the solvency ratio 56 per cent. The shareholders receive DKK 7.5 million in dividend.
A contract is made to sell the Augusta Westland 139 helicopter. The extended runway at Vágar is taken into use in December, and the company achieves one of its best results to date. The company also receives a silver cup when the awards for the best advertising campaigns are presented in the old stock exchange building in Copenhagen. The campaign markets not only the company in the Danish media, but the whole of the Faroe Islands.
There is a festive atmosphere at the airport when the new Airbus 319 aircraft arrives in the Faroe Islands from Hamburg. Representatives of, among others, the Faroese Government and the company are on board this first flight. A crowd of people is there to welcome it. A new era in Faroese aviation begins with a new aircraft and pioneering navigation technology that ensures greater regularity. The company begins flying to Barcelona and receives a bronze award as European airline of the year from the European Regions Airline Association.
The company can celebrate 25 years since the first flight between Vágar and Copenhagen. The company's equity is DKK 247 million, and the Faroese can now also fly direct to Milan in addition to Barcelona. The company makes several contracts on charter flights southbound from Denmark, and the next Airbus aircraft are expected to join the fleet in June and October. The company starts charter operations in Chile.
The Løgting agrees to buy back the third of Atlantic Airways that was privatised in 2007, and the Government thus once again owns the whole company.
Atlantic Airways replaces its helicopter fleet and buys two new AW139 helicopters in place of the 20-year-old Bell 412 helicopters.
Atlantic Airways begins offering young people and students a special fare with the SVEIGGJ youth and student ticket.
Atlantic Airways turns 30, and to mark the occasion the aircraft and helicopters are named after distinguished artists. The aircraft are given the names William (Heinesen), Elinborg (Lützen) and Ingálvur (av Reyni). The helicopters are called Sámal (Joensen-Mikines) and Ruth (Smith). In this connection the support scheme Listaflog is also established, which each year gives DKK 100,000 to one or more art projects and/or artists.
An agreement is signed with the American company on a long-term lease of two newly built Airbus A320neo. The first aircraft is to be ready in the first quarter of 2019. The Neo aircraft use less fuel and have lower emissions than ordinary Airbus aircraft.
In June Atlantic Airways signs an agreement with Airbus to buy two new Airbus A320 aircraft, and only a month later the first neo aircraft arrives in the Faroe Islands.
In the summer of 2021 things slowly began to move forward again after the corona pandemic. Flights operated to eight destinations, and the number of passengers then slowly began to grow again.
Operations now really pick up speed again, even though corona still causes disruption in the first months of the year. Not enough, however, to stop the year from becoming the best since the record year 2019, with around 350,000 passengers.
On 28 March it is 35 years since Atlantic Airways operated its first flight.
The year begins with Atlantic Airways operating an air bridge to Berlin for the men's European Handball Championship finals in January, where the Faroe Islands take part for the first time. Around 5,000 Faroese gather in the German capital, where players and fans have the experience of a lifetime. In November/December Atlantic Airways also flies the women's national handball team and their fans to Basel in Switzerland, where they likewise take part in their first European Championship finals. Yet another SÓL destination is added to the route map, when flights start to the largest Canary holiday island, Tenerife. Flights operate during and around the autumn holiday.
The brand-new simulator centre, Atlantic Airways Aviation Academy, is officially put into operation. The centre houses two modern and advanced simulators, one for helicopters and one for Airbus aircraft. Atlantic Airways Aviation Academy also receives the honour ‚Initiative of the Year‘ at Vinnudagurin. Never before have so many people flown on Faroese wings, because in 2025 the number of passengers on Atlantic Airways' scheduled aircraft set a record at just under 380,000 travellers.