Yule stars over Norway

Fighter jets fly in a poinsettia formation as part of annual Christmas tradition

NTB

True to tradition, the Norwegian Air Force’s fighter jets flew over parts of the country in so-called poinsettia formation on Dec. 11. Both F-16 and F-35 aircraft participated.

The Air Force’s Christmas star is a good annual tradition, which is carefully planned every year, said spokesman Major Stian Roen in the Air Force to the Armed Forces forum.

331 Squadron, flying F-16, flew from Bodø and then over Troms og Finnmark. Next year will be the last time there will be a poinsettia flight from Bodø, wrote NRK.

“Next year, we will step down on flights with F-16. Now we had 24 planes in the air today, I do not think we will have that next year,” said the head of the air force base in Bodø, Henning Homb, to the state news channel.

From Ørlandet, 332 Squadron’s F-35s flew south to Kristiansund. A quick trip to Molde and Ålesund, however, was canceled.

“There has been a fantastic commitment among the population, which makes us very happy. We’ve made many happy, but we realize that some were also disappointed when we, unfortunately, canceled in some places.” Roen said to the Armed Forces forum.

Translated by Lori Ann Reinhall

This article originally appeared in the Dec. 25, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.