Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
Reviewed for: FS2024
Add-ons: FS Traffic, GSX Pro
Svolvær was developed by the dev responsible for Leknes, featured in World Update 15. This airport, however, is a noticeable step up from that scenery (which itself wasn’t at all bad). Svolvær is a small regional airport located in northern Norway, on the country’s west coast. Like many airports on Norway’s rugged coastline, its purpose is to serve as a vital air-bridge to connect this remote fjord region with civilisation. Flights are operated by Widerøe, exclusively with Dash 8s, and are funded by the Norwegian government.
DETAIL
One might think that a small airport like Svolvær could be crammed to breaking point with detail but the reality is, airports in northern Norway are typically simple affairs. They’re built for the low winter temperatures and changeable weather so are as basic as requirements allow. With this in mind, there’s not the plethora of fine detail one would ordinarily expect, but that’s not to say the dev has been lazy. In fact, far from it; the detail isn’t immediately obvious but the more you explore, the more you find. There are several very discreet animations but they’re among the coolest (no pun intended!) and most convincing I’ve seen in the sim. I won’t elaborate as they’re fun to hunt down…
The terminal is well modelled, inside and out (the interior is practically complete), and the weathering feels just right for this type of building in this environment. Inside we find high-quality custom animated passengers, and the outdoor landside boasts a variety of custom vehicles — all of which have quite complex interiors!
The airside ground is excellent, taking advantage of FS2024’s feature whereby painted markings actually have depth. The airport is accurately terraformed and all airfield lighting is custom. The small fire station contains a couple of custom fire trucks.
Away from the terminal, in the airport’s peripheral areas, there’s a smattering of custom assets protruding from the ground, most of which are presumably navaids or to monitor weather and snow depth. All have red hazard warning lights. There are also a couple of hazard lights atop nearby hills but upon closer inspection, they’re simply airborne lights, without supporting structures. This far off the airfield, this isn’t an issue. Speaking of illumination, there are a couple of specialist approach lights that can be triggered by tuning your nav2 radio to specific frequencies. A nice touch for immersion!
Predictably, there’s not a great deal to see off-airport, except a couple of fairly basically-modelled houses and the airport’s approach road (complete with safety barriers and signage).
Finally, night-lighting, which is par for the course for FS2024 (in other words, very nice).
PERFORMANCE
Needless to say, performance is spot on for such a small airport in such a remote location.
VERDICT
These fjord airports have long fascinated me and a lot of the aesthetic appeal with them is actually down to Asobo, rather than the airport developer. Don’t get me wrong, Wombii have recreated this airport beautifully; but it is the location that really sells it. FS2024 looks so much better than its predecessor, especially in winter, and these wild northerly regions offer enormous seasonal variety. The biggest let-down is nothing to do with Wombii, or Asobo — it’s the fact that we still don’t have a decent Dash 8 in the sim. I think the appeal of these airports will increase dramatically among simmers if (or when) we finally get a Dash 8.
In the meantime, if you can make use of this airport sans Widerøe operations, I can highly recommend it. It’s perhaps a touch on the pricey side (£12.24/ €14) considering the size of the airport but it’s currently on sale for almost half that, at the in-sim Marketplace.
IMAGES
To follow…