Sandefjord Airport, Torp

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Sandefjord Airport, Torp
Sandefjord lufthavn, Torp
IATA: TRF - ICAO: ENTO
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Sandefjord Lufthavn AS
Serves Sandefjord
Elevation AMSL 286 ft (87 m)
Coordinates 59°11′12″N, 10°15′31″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 9,675 2,950 Asphalt

Sandefjord Airport, Torp (IATA: TRF, ICAO: ENTO) (Norwegian (language): Sandefjord lufthavn, Torp) is an international airport in the municipality of Sandefjord, Vestfold south of Oslo, Norway. It serves both as regional airport and as a low-cost airport for Eastern Norway.

In 2006 Torp had 1 300 762 passengers, about two thirds travelling internationally. Widerøe and Coast Air offer domestic flights to Bergen, Haugesund, Stavanger and Trondheim while a number of other airlines offer international flights serving the Vestfold/Telemark area. The low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizzair fly to the airport as Oslo-Torp, despite the airport is twice the distance from Oslo as Gardermoen and lacks high-speed rail transport to the city. The airport is located between the city of Sandefjord and Stokke.

Torp is owned and operated by Sandefjord Lufthavn AS, which in turn is owned by the municipalities of Sandefjord and Stokke, the county of Vestfold and a private investment group.

Contents

[edit] History

Sandefjord Airport, Torp was build after World War II using NATO funds as a military airport. After a while the airport also started having civilian airline, among others Norsk Air who operated regional flights to Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim using a fleet of Embraer aircraft. The airline was later taken over by Widerøe who operates the airport as one of its hubs.

After the construction of Gardermoen, Norwegian authorities decided that Eastern Norway only needed one airport. While Fornebu was closed, the municipalities of Stokke and Sandefjord started operating the airport on private basis, and in 1998 Ryanair stated flying to Torp from its hub at London-Stansted. Since then Torp has become the main low-cost airport serving Eastern Norway. The summer of 2006 the airport will be sold from the Royal Norwegian Air Force to the airport operating company. But Moss Airport, Rygge has also received permission for private commercial airport operations, and may become a competitor for Torp as a low-cost destination.

[edit] Future plans

In June 2006 the airport decided to invest 24 million NOK to expand the terminal. The checkin has been a bottle neck, and the expansion will give the airport a capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year. The airport is also working on expanding the taxiway.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

Torp is also the home of Norway's only flying DC-3. It is operated by Dakota Norway, a non-profit organization, and tours around the area are available at selected days during the summer season.

[edit] Services

Torp is currently only served by one handling agent, Widerøe Handling Services, providing airlines with both check-in and passenger-services in the terminal, and airside operations like water and toilet-service, airstairs, Ground Power, aircraft heating and airconditioning, aircraft pushback and towing, aircraft loading and unloading, catering-services, and aircraft de-icing/anti-icing.

[edit] Catering

In addition to WHS, a second catereer, Select Service Partner, or SSP, provides catering for airlines at Torp.

[edit] Fuel

Aviation fuels and oils are provided by Statoil Aviation and Shell Aviation, both providing both Jet-A1 and Avgas 100LL.

[edit] Maintenance

Widerøe has the largest maintenance facility at Torp, providing full maintenance for the airlines own fleet of Dash 8 series 100, 300, and 400 aircraft.

Helifly provides maintenance for both aircraft and helicopters.

Flyvedlikehold provides maintenance for both aircraft and helicopters, engines, and is a retailer of pilot accessories like headsets, helmets, and so on.

[edit] Ground transport

The airport is about 110 km south of Oslo on E18. It takes about 70 minutes to drive to Oslo.

Torp Ekspressen runs several times a day from the airport to Oslo, corresponding with Ryanair flights.

There is also a city-bus serving the route Torp - Sandefjord (Bus-line 172)

Future plans for Vestfoldbanen, a railway line passing close by to the airports eastern boundary, may include a new train station at Torp Airport.

[edit] Incidents

  • Sandefjord was the site of a 1979 Learjet crash, reportedly the result of a pilot distracted by a rowdy party being celebrated by passengers. The cost of the crash was the life of the pilot and five passengers.
  • The airport was also the site for a dramatic hostage situation in September 29, 1994. The day before, two Swedish-based men Robert Domalski, originally from the Czech Republic, and Dario Hanjet, originally from Croatia, had robbed a small post office in Østre Halsen, just outside Larvik. Their car broke down during the escape and they eventually ended up in the homes of an elderly couple in Larvik after taking a 44 year old female police officer as hostage. A negotiator from Sandefjord police station was brought in to negotiate with the hostage takers and communicated with the hostage takers through police radio, which meant that the entire press was able to listen in. They were led to believe that they would be given an airplane at the nearest airport Torp, Sandefjord, but upon arrival they quickly realized that they had been fooled. In an attempt to give the hostage takers new batteries for the police radio, the negotiator was himself taken hostage. He was then told that he was going to be killed if the demands of the kidnappers were not met, which was a sum of 20 million USD and passage out of the country within the hour. He was forced to do the countdown to his own execution. At 08:58 he reported through the radio: "it's now 2 minutes until I will get shot". Few seconds later Beredskapstroppen launched an attack that saved all hostages and killed Robert Domalski. He was killed by snipers. This is the only time in Norwegian peace history when a direct order to shoot to kill has been given. Due to the sinking of M/S Estonia, the incident received little press attention, although a mini TV-series was made for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, NRK, in 2005.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Reference

  1. ^ Gisseldramaet på Torp Lufthavn blir film Hostage drama at Torp Airport comes on film Verdens Gang, August 6, 2003. Retrieved March 30, 2007. (Norwegian)
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