Røða løgmans á hátíðarhaldi á Airbus verksmiðjuni

 

Ladies and gentlemen – management of Atlantic Airway – management of Airbus

 

First of all I would like to say how happy I am to be back here in the lovely city of Hamburg. Years ago - in the early nineties - I had the opportunity to work here in Hamburg in Gross Albert Strasse as a salesman in the fish industry, at a company called Tügel Kittler und Gross.  And recently I was together the with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Johan Dahl, invited on a visit here at the Airbus factory to see the Airbus A319 on the production line. I was very impressed by the efficiency in the way the work processes were organized and executed. A demonstration of European technological skills and craftsmanship at its best. And this aircraft indeed is a piece of impressive machinery, carefully designed to carry out the demanding task of flying in the challenging weather conditions in the airspace of the North Atlantic.

 

This is a historic day for Atlantic Airways and a milestone in the aviation history of the Faroe Islands. The introduction of the Airbus A319 marks the beginning of a new era for Atlantic Airways.

 

Since the airline was established in 1987 Atlantic Airways has gone through a long process of improving its services to the Faroese public. The airline has seen difficult times and, especially during the first few years, it was confronted with some serious financial challenges. However, Atlantic Airways has managed to turn deficits to surpluses, and the last many profitable years is evidence of a professional and capable management.

 

The logo of the Atlantic Airways images the bird, which is called gannet in English and súla in Faroese. The gannet bears a special meaning to the Faroese, and especially to those of us, who are connected to the island of Mykines. Mykines is the only nesting place for gannet in the entire Faroe Islands. And the gannet indeed is a majestic bird, the largest bird in the Faroes, with its enormous wing span. As the gannet is the largest and most impressive bird in the Faroese airspace, the Airbus A319 will be the largest artificial bird in our airspace, and how suitable it is for this aircraft to bear the gannet logo on its tail.  

Ladies and gentlemen

 

This is a memorable day in many ways. Through history, and as long as the Faroese people have lived in our remote islands, travel conditions have been varying and often very difficult. To be able to travel to and from is a fundamental precondition for the livelihood of the people in our island nation. The Airbus A319 marks an important breakthrough in Faroese air travel, which will provide new opportunities for the Faroese society.   

 

History tells us that technological breakthroughs, even on a limited scale, can bring significant changes to a society. Our Viking ancestors back in the days of old developed the longboat, which meant enormous new opportunities at the time. It made the world smaller. The longboat offered new opportunities to travel long distances and gave our forefathers the courage to cross the great Atlantic Ocean and reach the shores of the Faroes and far beyond, even as far as to America.

 

I am convinced that the Airbus A319 also will widen our horizon, like the longboat did for our forefathers. The Airbus A319 can fly non stop accross Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, and with the extended runway at Vágar in the Faroes, it will for the first time be possible to have a commercial air service between the Faroe Islands and cities like Barcelona and New York. This is a breakthrough that will create new commercial opportunities for tourism and other businesses, and may also provide new opportunities for our export industry.  

 

I hope this day will mark the beginning of a new era. An era of new opportunities and activities, where the distance between our country and the rest of the world has become shorter. An era with greater cultural and commercial interaction between the Faroes and the rest of the world.

 

Thank you