Helgeland – then and now
We’re on the fourth floor of the research and innovation centre known as Campus Helgeland, which somehow seems very fitting for our topic of discussion: a major new airport. We expect the airport to become perhaps the greatest catalyst for regional growth. But we have been talking a long time. Our coffee cups are almost empty, and we have asked Henrik Johansen to tell us how it all started.
“The area in question is called Hauan, which is dialect for “the hills”, but that’s not a very good name. The name will be Mo i Rana Airport Fagerlia,” says Johansen. He heads Polarsirkelen Lufthavnutvikling, the group striving to establish the airport. The literal meaning of that name is very descriptive, Arctic Circle Airport Development, because the airport is intended to service a large area near the Arctic Circle.
In March of 2007, Henrik Johansen, airline captain Torstein Dragland, engineer Lars Erik Drevvatne, and businessman Erik Wulfsberg presented their plans for a major new airport. They were hardly the first to do so. Aviation authorities had already evaluated 19 possible sites in Helgeland, and found none of them suitable.
“For 50 years people had been talking about the site we suggested. Dagfinn Christensen proposed it in 1989, and others had done so before him,” says Johansen.
“Today, as you arrive at Mo by air, it’s obvious that this particular area would be perfect for an airport. It has an east-west orientation, which coincides with the dominant wind direction. You can approach in a straight line along the fjord, or from the east, without any mountains being in the way.
The airport at Røssvoll became limiting
So the site we’re proposing is hardly unknown. Chance, and an emphasis on criteria other than the ones that are relevant today, are the reasons why Røssvoll was chosen back in the day.
“At Røssvoll it was easy to level off the sandy areas. In fact, a few enthusiasts went to Oslo, bought a small single-engine aeroplane, started an aviation club and cleared a single runway at Røssvoll. That didn’t cost them much at all,” says Johansen.
When the first small airports – sometimes referred to as STOLports – were established in Norway in the 1960s, the plans called for flights with Twin Otters.
“That small, acrobatic plane was well-suited to steep approaches and short runways. So Røssvoll was expanded to handle the Twin Otters. That was a big mistake, because it seriously limited future possibilities. At the time, no one carried out any analyses of how an expanded airport could be established on this ridge.
Hoping to start construction in 2018
At least not until March 2007, when this foursome suggested it. And they did more than talk – they carried out a thorough investigation. The conclusion was that Fagerlia was eminently suited as a site for a major new airport.
That was ten years ago. At a press conference in March of this year, Kenneth Svendsen announced that his Progress Party and three other political parties – the Conservatives, the Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party – were in full agreement on building a new and larger airport outside the town of Mo i Rana. In the draft for Norway’s National Transport Plan for 2018–2029, the government proposes that nok 1.48 billion be allocated for the airport during the plan’s second six-year period. This assumes that a contribution of nok 600 million in local money, from the Municipality of Rana and from the business community, will enable the project to commence as soon as possible. The national authorities are also open to discussing alternative financing models.
In June, the National Transport Plan was approved by the Norwegian Parliament (Storting). This summer, during her re-election campaign, Prime Minister Erna Solberg was there for the groundbreaking ceremony.
Things take time – longer than the foursome expected when they presented their plans. What they envisaged as an intense sprint became a demanding marathon, but they are now on the final stretch! Granted, no one knows exactly how long that final stretch will be.
Polarsirkelen Lufthavnutvikling and the Municipality of Rana have requested a meeting with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. They want to present an Implementation Plan that has been prepared with professional help from the consulting engineers of Asplan Viak. The aim is to start construction next year.
A regional project
“I think our progress can be ascribed to the network that we created very early. Together, the four of us are stronger than any one of us alone, and our skill sets complement each other,” says Johansen.
“But even more important was to invite businesses from the eight municipalities of our region to become shareholders. This undoubtedly helped foster political receptivity and resulted in positive decisions from the municipalities. In other words, quite early on, this became a regional project.”
“In hindsight, this was the foundation, and the regional support has been decisive when the challenges were most intense. Sure, there have been many attempts to dismiss us and what we are trying to accomplish,” he says.
“Transport and communications must be based on a comprehensive vision. The new roads that are now being built strengthen ties and unify the region. These days there is much discussion about the scheduled boat routes in Helgeland. Those must be considered as we strive to improve our air transport. For our region, transport is perhaps the most fundamental issue that we all need to cooperate on. It’s vital that we make it easier, simpler and more comfortable for people to go where they need to go,” says Reidar Ryssdal of Rana Utviklingsselskap, the business development service of Rana Municipality of which Mo i Rana is the main town.
An engine for growth
“Not enough new jobs, and too few young people deciding to live here. Those are the two greatest threats Helgeland is facing,” says Johansen succinctly.
“The potential is huge! When it comes to natural resources, Helgeland is one of the richest regions in Norway. We have thriving fisheries and aquaculture on the coast, and important industrial clusters inland. We have water and plenty of hydropower, and immense opportunities to further develop our tourism. There are untold possibilities. What we lack is an engine for growth that will be a catalyst for innovation and development,” says Johansen.
He believes the new airport will play that role.
“A major new airport will strengthen our links with the rest of Norway and to the world. The airport will enable opportunities and open up development. The airport will be a key factor in attracting more young people to our region. Obviously we need to be able to offer them jobs. People don’t come her to be idle! The point of a new airport is jobs. We believe it will be our engine for growth,” says Johansen firmly.
Large planes
Across the border, too, there is great interest in Rana’s proposed airport. The Swedes believe it may lead to increased tourism in their Hemavan and Tärnaby regions. Johan Ryssdal and Henrik Johansen believe that the districts of Mosjøen and Sandnesjøen, farther south in Helgeland, will also benefit from the new airport.
“Mo i Rana Airport Fagerlia will channel many travellers to these areas as well. The airport at Evenes is a perfect example of that. Few travellers are coming to Evenes itself, which is a municipality of just 1400 people. They are headed for the towns of Narvik or Harstad, or they’re going to Sortland or Svolvær,” says Johansen.
“Vesterålen is situated about 120 km away from Evenes. Nonetheless, there is a steady stream of people flying between Evenes and Oslo. Only one out of ten air travellers headed to or from Oslo use the archipelago own small airport of Stokmarknes. Why? Because it is much cheaper to fly with the direct flights to Evenes. SAS and Norwegian Airlines use big planes for that route.”
We have returned to our key question and the reason for this interview: Why is it so important for Helgeland to build a major new airport?
“I would answer your question with a question: Where would Tromsø or Bodø be today without their airports? An honest examination of that question will tell you just how important it is! Tromsø, for example, is a university town, attracting students from all over Norway. They’re not about to spend days crawling the coast on the Hurtigruten steamers. But when they’re flying from Oslo, Tromsø is only an hour’s flying time more than Trondheim. That’s insignificant,” says Johansen.
“In short, we’ll soon be looking back and talking about Helgeland before and after the airport. That is the scale of our vision.”
