Airbus aircraft marked Atlantic Airways’ biggest advance

Airbus aircraft were the biggest advance in Atlantic Airways’ history, according to outgoing finance director Marius Davidsen, who spoke to Kringvarp Føroya (KVF) after retiring from the airline.

Davidsen worked for Atlantic Airways from its establishment in 1988 and spent most of his career as finance director. He has now started life as a pensioner after reaching retirement age.

“It will be exciting to find a new life, because almost everything has been work all these years,” Davidsen said. He added that he had already spent one of his first days as a pensioner at sea.

Davidsen said the Faroese airline faced a difficult start after running into the major crisis of the early 1990s. Its fortunes improved in the middle of that decade, as conditions in the Faroe Islands improved and more people began flying.

“It is incredible that we have such a good airline and such good air connections with the outside world,” he said. “It is not written in any textbook that we, with just over 50,000 people, should have a well-functioning airline.”

Davidsen noted that aviation is a difficult industry and that many airlines in neighbouring countries had collapsed. Foreigners account for half of Atlantic Airways’ passengers, while charter flights make up 40 per cent of its operations.

He said the introduction of Airbus aircraft had allowed the airline to fly more sustainably. The RMP system, a GPS navigation system, was another important development. It allows aircraft to land in poorer visibility than before and has made flights in Vágar more regular.