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Agnar Kofoed-Hansen
Agnar Kofoed-Hansen (August 3, 1915 – December 23, 1982) was an Icelandic pioneer in aviation, pilot and Director General of Civil Aviation. During World War II occupation of Iceland he served as Chief Commissioner of Police in Reykjavik.

Biography.
Agnar Kofoed-Hansen was born and grew up in Reykjavik. He completed his pilot training in the flight department of the Danish Navy in 1934 and added qualifications for passenger flights by working for a Danish airline and training with Norwegian and German airlines. He returned to Iceland in 1936 and was appointed as an aviation consultant for the Icelandic Government. To promote his vision Agnar Kofoed-Hansen founded two open societies in 1936, firstly The Icelandic Gliding Club and secondly the The Icelandic Aeronautical Association. In 1937 he successfully motivated a group of investors in Akureyri to establish a new airline company, initially named Flugfelag Akureyrar. Operations started in 1937 and the company is, after several mergers and change of name still ongoing, currently as Icelandair. Agnar Kofoed-Hansen was appointed Chief Commissioner of Police 1940-1947 but after World War II he continued his pioneering efforts to build up the domestic air traffic infrastructure and support airline operations but now as Director General of Civil Aviation. Agnar Kofoed-Hansen was a delegate at the 1944 Chicago Conventional of International Civil Aviation which led to the foundation of ICAO. On this venue he from the beginning emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in the North Atlantic air traffic and joint financing of equipment and services. As a result of his efforts Iceland became as of 1948 one of seven countries entrusted by ICAO to provide North Atlantic navigation services (Reykjavik CTA). In 1979 Agnar Kofoed-Hansen received the Edward Warner Award from ICAO for „his very valuable contribution to international civil aviation and, in particular, for his prominent role he played in development of air navigation services over the North Atlantic“. As General Director of Civil Aviation for three decades Agnar Kofoed-Hansen always remained loyal to his passion for aviation and efforts to build up secure infrastructure for domestic air traffic by local airlines as well as enabling them to expand international operations. This would be accomplished by securing Iceland would always participate in international aviation cooperation and neccessary bilateral or multilateral agreements would be in place to secure market access and operational security for the airlines. Agnar Kofoed-Hansen was credited by his contemporaries for his part in securing an Air Transport Agreement with Luxemburg in 1955 which enabled the Icelandic airline Loftleidir, a non-IATA member, to start within three years their low-fare trans-Atlantic flight service between Luxemburg and New York with change of planes in Iceland. This hub concept created a base for Loftleidir to expand dramatically its trans-Atlantic flights and after merger with Icelandair in 1973 and later deregulation of international air traffic this model is still the backbone of current Icelandair business but now with multiple destinations on both sides of the Atlantic. Agnar Kofed-Hansen died in Reykjavik on 23rd December 1982.

Medals and Awards
Iceland: Order of The Falcon, Grand Knight´s Cross 1976; Denmark: Order of Dannebrog, Commander 1956; Sweden: Royal Order of Vasa, Commander 1957, Order of The Polar Star, Commander 1975; Norway: Order of St. Olav, Commander 1947; Finland: Order of The Lion, Commander First Class, 1957; Germany: Grosses Verdienst Kreutz 1977; Luxemburg: Order of The Oak Crown, Knight Grand Cross 1955; France: Diploma Paul Tissander F.A.I. 1958. Switzerland: Légion d‘Honneur, Chevalier 1962, Commandeur 1966. India: Honorary Member of the Indian Society for Aeronautical Science; ICAO: The Edwad Warner Award 1979