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In a document sent by the Armed Forces to the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces confirm that they will continue to operate in Andøya, even after the surveillance aircraft disappear.
The document was published on the pages of the Armed Forces on Tuesday afternoon.
There, they recommend that the Armed Forces remain in Andøya for years to come. At the same time, they allow this to occur in combination with civil activity.
NRK has not yet received an interview with the Armed Forces.
Four years ago the nail in the coffin
It has been almost four years since a majority in the Storting decided to close the Andøya airport and move the entire business to Evenes.
This is happening at the same time as the new P8 aircraft will be gradually introduced.
The decision sparked massive protests in the Nordland municipality.
As a patch on the wound, the then Minister of Local Government Jan Tore Sanner (H) established a state committee to work with the restructuring in Andøy.
The Storting also promised “an extraordinary state effort” for the crisis-stricken northern municipality, putting NOK 95 million in restructuring funds on the table.
The goal of the restructuring program is to help create 350 jobs in the municipality by 2023.
But it has taken time.
I’ve been waiting for clarification
The former mayor of Andøy, Jonni Solsvik, now runs the local restructuring organization Samskap and is impatient.
During the four years since the closure was decided, the Armed Forces have not been able to decide whether to stay or leave Andøya.
According to Solsvik, it was a clear mistake that the Armed Forces left the area where the airport is located. Both the area and the infrastructure had to be available for other commercial activities.
But you are not disappointed by today’s clarification.
– This doesn’t have to be negative. But it is still important to clarify what civilian activity can be allowed in areas that the Armed Forces do not need, Solsvik tells NRK.
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– not disappointed
In the document, the Armed Forces suggest that the activity will be carried out on a limited basis after 2023.
– The Armed Forces plan to move the operations that will remain in Andøya into a smaller area in the northeast. The Armed Forces will create a new perimeter fence around this area to maintain security requirements for the Armed Forces, they wrote on their website Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Storting’s decision, the area will be completely sold in 2025. However, this will not happen if the Armed Forces get what they want.
They open at the same time to share the area with any other activity.
Jonni Solsvik is not surprised that the Armed Forces are staying.
– The way the situation has developed since 2016, where the starting point was that everything had to be vacated, this is not surprising. But it is still unclear what areas and what civilian activities can be allowed in areas that the Armed Forces do not need, he tells NRK.
Want clarification
– I choose to be optimistic. But we must go ahead and clarify these things now, adds the former mayor of Andøy.
Nordland County Council Leader Tomas Norvoll (Labor Party) is also impatient. He thinks it is good that the Andøy community now gets a final clarification of what the future will bring.
– Now there has been a shadow over the restructuring work at Andøy because they have not known what they could do, or not do, in the area that the defense has at their disposal today.
