Andøya Air Station

Historie

Andøya Air Station is situated in the north of Norway, in the municipality of Andøy. 333 Squadron of the Norwegian air force is based here with P-3C Orions. The squadron is Norway's only surveillance squadron and stands as the airborne defence of northern Norway. Andøya Air Station is designed to handle fighters and should it become necessary, fighter squadrons can be deployed to protect this region. Squadron 333 is the only Norwegian squadron still in operation after its initial deployment.The civil airport Andøya Airport, Andenes and the civilian sounding rocket launch facility Andøya Rocket Range is also located on the island.The primary function of the six Orion aircraft is surveillance, mostly in the north and for both military and civilian functions. The planes are also the only aircraft that can provide assistance to stricken ships far from land. The aircraft frequently cooperate with the Norwegian Coast Guard.The government has proposed that new Maritime Patrol Aircraft shall be co-located with F-35 at Evenes Air Station. Evenes will be strengthened with the establishment of dedicated base defence units and long-range air defences. Andøya air station is slated for closure.HistoryThe first idea of building a military airport was launched at a NATO meeting in Lisbon in 1951. In March 1952 the Norwegian Minister of Defence, Nils Langhelle announced that the airport was going to be built. There were multiple suggested locations, and the decision fell on the village Haugnes. The entire village with 310 residents was expropriated to give enough area for the airport. The community at Andøy only had 2000 residents at the time, and a large growth was expected.