Bakkafrost: The Faroese Salmon Farm That Plans To Reduce Food Waste By Flying Fish In A Boeing 757

Seemingly unable to get the services it needs, a Faroe Islands salmon farming company, Bakkafrost, has purchased its own Boeing 757. Bakkafrost plans to use the aircraft to have its fresh salmon on the plates of New York diners within hours of it being processed.

The Faroe Islands archipelago comprises 18 volcanic islands located halfway between Iceland and Scotland in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a self-governing nation under the external sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. Bakkafrost, the world's eighth-largest fish farming company, is located in Glyvar on the island of Eysturoy and is one of the Faroe Islands' biggest private employers.

A unique way to get the salmon to the US

Bakkafrost plans to use a Boeing 757 to fly its salmon directly from the Faroe Islands to the US. Photo: Bakkafrost

While news of Bakkafrost's B757 is not entirely new, The Guardian reported today that sustainability campaigners are raising questions about the increasing reliance on air freight to open new markets overseas. Campaigners say that flying salmon fillets from Scandinavia to the US produces 17 times more CO2 than by boat. Conversely, Bakkafrost CEO Regin Jacobsen says using their own aircraft will cut the firm's airfreight CO2 emissions by 45%. Currently, the salmon gets to the US via London's Heathrow Airport (LHR), which increases the flying time and needs large amounts of ice to keep the fish cool.

Jacobsen said that airfreight is only a small proportion of its overall exports and that it shipped thousands of tonnes by sea every week. He added:

"Reducing our carbon footprint to the US is a huge step and it's very important our customers get high-quality produce."

The Bakkafrost Boeing 757 is being converted into a zero-degree flying fridge that can carry 35 tonnes of fresh salmon from Vagar Faroe International Airport (FAE) direct to an airport in New Jersey, US. It then plans to carry other freight back to Scottish airports or the Faroe Islands and is considering adding extra flights to take Scottish salmon to New York. There are no direct flights to the US from the Faroe Islands, with flights generally via Copenhagen Airport Kastrup (CPH) or London Heathrow. A direct flight will cover around 3,100 miles (4,950 km) and take about six hours.

The local airport is ready for the Bakkafrost B757

Vagar airport was built by army engineers during World War II when the British Army occupied the Faroe Islands. It was abandoned after the war until it reopened as a civilian airport in 1963 under the control of the Danish Civil Aviation Administration. In 2011 the runway was extended to 1,800 meters (1,968 yards), and a year later, it was designated a CAT 1 Runway. According to Flightradar24.com, Atlantic Airways, SAS Scandinavian Airlines Wideroe operate scheduled services at Vagar. Faroe Islands' based Atlantic Airways has services to Iceland, Norway, Denmark, the UK, France and Spain, operated by one Airbus A320ceo and two A320neo aircraft.

Photo: Airbus

In March, Bakkafrost representatives told Undercurrent News, a global seafood industry publication, that the company would be the first foreign company to fly its own fish into the US for same-day distribution. They added that the range of the jet allows Bakkafrost to expand its network to other major US markets and that they could conceivably fly fresh fish as far as Israel from the Faroe Islands.

Simple Flying has contacted Bakkfrost and will update this article with any response.