Plan your trip
The Faroese helicopter: can visitors book it?
Last checked: 14 October 2026
The short answer
Yes, but on the residents' terms. The helicopter is subsidised by the government so that people can keep living on the remoter islands, and the tourist board says it is mainly reserved for residents. Visitors may book standard flights one way only, and the board says the booking can be made two days before departure; you come back by ferry or bus. The flights, the booking and the conditions are on Atlantic Airways' own helicopter pages, and in peak season Atlantic Airways also arranges sightseeing flights.
Source: Visit Faroe IslandsTravelling by public transportation in the Faroe IslandsAtlantic AirwaysAtlantic Airways — helicopter
Why it exists, and why that limits you
This is not a tourist service with spare seats for locals; it is the other way round. The helicopter subsidy is, in the tourist board's words, a community project, so that people can keep living on islands the roads and the bigger ferries do not reach. Treat a seat as a bonus on the day, never as the backbone of a plan — especially for a place with a ferry you could book instead.
Source: Visit Faroe IslandsTravelling by public transportation in the Faroe IslandsGetting around
What a visitor may book
Three rules come from the tourist board's own page:
- One way only. Tourists cannot book a return flight on a standard helicopter trip.
- The booking can be made two days before departure, not weeks ahead.
- You make your own way back, by ferry or bus.
Source: Visit Faroe IslandsTravelling by public transportation in the Faroe Islands
Where to book and check
Atlantic Airways, the national airline, runs the helicopter pages: a timetable, a booking page, fares and conditions, charter and the fleet are all listed under Helicopter on its website. Read the conditions there before you rely on a flight, because they are the operator's and can change. For a scenic flight rather than a transport hop, the tourist board says Atlantic Airways arranges sightseeing tours in peak season.
Atlantic Airways (helicopter timetable, booking and conditions)
Source: Atlantic AirwaysAtlantic Airways — helicopterVisit Faroe IslandsGetting around
Plan the return before the flight
Because the return is by sea or road, the ferry or bus home decides whether the day works. Look up the return on the ferry or bus page first, then see whether a one-way flight fits in front of it.
Source: Visit Faroe IslandsTravelling by public transportation in the Faroe IslandsStrandfaraskip LandsinsRoute overview — every scheduled bus and ferry route
Asked before you go
What people search for
- Can tourists take the helicopter in the Faroe Islands?
- Yes, one way only, on a service the tourist board says is mainly reserved for residents. Atlantic Airways publishes the timetable and booking, and the board says a booking can be made two days before departure.
- Can I book a return helicopter flight?
- No. Visitors can book one-way trips only and come back by ferry or bus.
- Are there helicopter sightseeing flights?
- In peak season, according to the tourist board, Atlantic Airways arranges sightseeing tours. Check its website for what is on.
No signal in the valley? The timetable is already on your phone
Faroe Bus for Android plans SSL bus and ferry trips by place and keeps the timetables on your phone when the signal drops — in the valleys and on the trails, where the tourist board warns coverage can be limited, the bus home is still one tap away.
Checked – 2026 Sources: Visit Faroe Islands, Atlantic Airways, Strandfaraskip Landsins
Sources for this page
The sources this page cites, each with the date we checked it. Two dates mean the facts that cite it were checked on different days.
Visit Faroe Islands
Atlantic Airways
- Atlantic Airways — helicopter Checked
Strandfaraskip Landsins
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