I though I would share my memorable helicopter adventure from the Faroe Islands. If you like hiking, the Faroe Islands are an excellent choice. If you like flying a helicopter while enjoying a stunning view and only pay EUR 30 for it, the Faroe Islands are the one and only choice. The most surprising part about this insane deal is that it is not a secret, you do not have to book months in advance or have one of the pilots as a family member. Quite the contrary, but let’s take it step by step.
You are also welcome to check out the video vlog I made about this trip click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jks2VOcUxxI
The Faroe Islands have an impressive helicopter network serving 11 heliports. The flights are carried out by the Faroese airline Atlantic Airways. Except the two Leonardo Agusta Westland AW139 helicopters for domestic flights the airline also operates 4 aircrafts from the Airbus A320 family to connect the islands with Copenhagen and other cities in Scandinavia and Northern Europe.
WHY SO CHEAP?
As I found out, the primary purpose of using helicopters on the Faroe Islands is that they are a perfect means of transportation for Search and Rescue operations. The islands are connected by ferries and a modern, but intricate network of underwater tunnel roads. However, none compare to the speed and flexibility of helicopters. As such they are regarded as a necessity and receive subsidies according to Public Service Obligation (PSO) regulation, where “transport operators can be compensated or given exclusive rights by public authorities to provide public transport services which are in the general interest but would otherwise not be commercially viable.” It seems that when the aircrafts are not used for public service, they are allowed to carry paying passengers, being that Faroese citizens or foreign tourists.
BOOKING CONDITIONS
If you keep these 3 main booking rules in mind, you can plan a perfect flight itinerary.
1. You can only book one way flights, which means if you are not staying at your destination, you need to consider another means of transportation back, or fly back again booking a one way ticket for another day then your first flight.
2. Tickets can only be booked max 7 days in advance, for some destinations only 2 days in advance. This means some flexibility is necessary. In my case, I completely changed my plans from one day to the other and booked a ticket for the next day when I saw availability.
3. The bookings are done through their website and the helicopter booking system is only in Faroese language, although it is rather easy to figure it out and navigate through it. My impression was that their whole booking system was not overtly complex. Tickets can be changed or cancelled up to 24hours prior departure and It is possible to carry luggage up to 20kg.
MY FLIGHT
Frankly, I did not care where I would be flying, because even a forgotten road corner looks otherworldly on the Faroe Islands. As a true avgeek I was hoping to book their longest flight from Torshavn, where I was based. It turned out to be a flight to Frodba, located on the island of Suduroy, which just happened to have gorgeous hiking trails as well. The morning of my flight I walked to the heliport in Torshavn. They are easy to find, usually located close to roads and by the sea. The heliport terminal was a small green wooden cabin, which housed a very small waiting room with a TV screen playing the safety video for the flight, a toilet and a room for storage. An elderly gentleman stood in the room holding a paper list, checking the names of the passengers, checking our bags and giving out bag tags. We lined up close to the landing pad and waited. The helicopter landed, a few people debarked, we boarded and got our noise cancelling headsets. The turnaround of the machine was less than five minutes including loading of small cargo, mostly what seemed to be produce items. The flight could not have been more enjoyable with only slight jolts of turbulence, although the Faroe Islands are very windy in general. On the way we made a stop at the island of Stóra Dimun.
This stopover landing was an incredibly picturesque experience, like a movie scene. We landed close to what I would describe as “Little house on the prairie” on an isolated island. As we approached for landing, I spotted a tractor heading for the heliport. There were kids sitting on top of it with noise cancelling headsets on. When we landed, none of us got out, we just waited until the tractor driver unloaded the delivery from the backside of the helicopter, loaded it on the tractor and drove back to their farm while the kids waved to us. I just though to myself what an incredibly unique life they must have living on an isolated island, where one huge entertainment is when the helicopter arrives delivering the essentials. We took off again, flew above a very dramatic cliffside and after a 5 minute flight arrived at our destination of Frodba. Two friendly ladies offered me a ride to the starting point of the hiking trail at a place called Hvannhagi. I returned from my hike in the afternoon, spent some time at the local town cafe and headed for the ferry in the early evening and sailed back to Torshavn.
CONCLUSION
The Faroe Islands offers vistas that can satisfy the most demanding travellers, hikers and avgeeks. So if you belong in any of these groups, I can not recommend this place enough. The truth is, it is a fairly expensive destination, but the irony of it all is that you will find here possibly the cheapest helicopter network that is easily available for foreigners and tourists.
You are welcome to check out the video vlog I made about this trip click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jks2VOcUxxI
