WIDERØE 75 YEARS
Written: 18 JUNE 2009

 

18 June 1934 a Widerøe passenger airplane took off from Oslo on its first regular domestic civil air service granted by the Norwegian goverment: Oslo-Kristiansand-Stavanger-Haugesund and back the same day. In the captains seat sat Viggo Widerøe, who together with other aviation enthusiasts founded the airline 19 Februar the same year.

The plane was a Waco UIC4 Cabin (LN-ABE) with 5 seats and a maximum speed of around 200 km/hr. It was imported from Ohio US via Germany by Widerøe himself. It was painted green from the factory which is still today part of the Widerøe color scheme.

The route was awarded by the government on 15 June. Widerøe was granted 5 000 NOK by the state, and the 12 000 NOK by the Norwegian Mail Service. It was flown with 100% regularity the summer months it was flown.

DNL was awarded all public routes in 1935, and Widerøe was back to concentrating on its main activities: charter, ambulance, school and photography.

In the 50s the seaplane activity increased in Northern Norway. In the middle of the 60s the government started building the network of regional short field airports around Norway. On these short fields the DHC-6 Twin Otter faithfully jumped around followed by the DHC-7 and finally the DHC-8 which is the one I fly around on these short fields today.

By the end of 1934 the company had 5 airplanes and flew 6 100 passengers. Today, 75 years later, Widerøe is transporting more than 2 million passengers each year. The fleet consists of 30 planes, which will increase to 32 by the end of the year.

Widerøe was the first airline to get the new model Q400 NextGen from Bombardier one month ago. This airplane is at the moment displayed at Paris Air Show. Towards the end of the year we will have a total of 6 of these airpanes, all based at Sandefjord Torp Airport.

Press release: "Bombardier's First Q400 NextGen Turboprop Airliner Bound for Norway"

NRK NettTV: "Fra Ingierstrand i åpen cockpit"
Interview of Viggo Widerøe from 1981 (in Norwegian).