Svalbard Airport
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| Svalbard Airport, Longyear Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: LYR - ICAO: ENSB | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Avinor | ||
| Serves | Longyearbyen | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 88 ft (27 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 10/28 | 7,621 | 2,323 | Asphalt |
Svalbard Airport, Longyear (IATA: LYR, ICAO: ENSB) (Norwegian: Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear) is an airport in Svalbard. It is located 1.6 nautical miles (3 km) northwest of Longyearbyen. It is owned and run by Avinor. The construction of Svalbard Airport was started in 1973 and it was officially opened in September 2, 1975. The first aircraft landed in the airport was a Braathens SAFE Fokker F-28 on August 14, 1974. It was rebulit in 1989 because of the problem from the permafrost. [1] Avinor announced in autumn 2005 that another terminal will be built. It is planned to be completed in 2007-2008. [2]
Svalbard airport has one 2,323 m runway equipped with Instrument Landing System.
Currently the largest operator into Svalbard Airport is SAS Braathens, which operate daily flights to Tromsø and onwards to Oslo. There are also service by Lufttransport to destinations in Svalbard including Ny-Ålesund and Svea with its Dornier Do 228 turboprop aircraft. There are also charter flights operated into the airport.
In 2005, there were 95,231 passengers using Svalbard Airport, an 2.3% increase from the previous year. [3]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Tundraport
Before Svalbard had an air service, the entire island was cut off from the rest of the world, with the exception of radio communication, between November and May. During World War II the German invasion forces in Norway had constructed a primitive air strip at Adventdalen, near Longyearbyen.
On February 9, 1958 the first post-war aircraft landed on Svalbard; a Catalina amphibian aircraft from the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The air force and been flying inn post, but then on this day a person was seriously ill and had to be flown to continental Norway. The mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kullkompani insured that the air strip was cleard for snow, and the transportation was a success.
Braathens S.A.F.E started flying with their Douglas DC-4 aircraft and landed at Adventdalen. The airline flew quite a number of charter flights up to the island region, and December 8, 1965 they flew to the island for the first time in the dark. In the winter Svalbard is dark all day long, and so flights to Svalbard in December could not be done in daylight. The main problem was navigating, as there was at that time no navigational equipment in the area except radio stations at Bear Island. The aircraft landed with the help of cars parked along the runway.
On April 29, 1972 the first jet aircraft, a Fokker F-28 from the same airline landed, but soon Braathens SAFE was operating Boeing 737-200 aircraft. In 1973 the first aircraft from Russia, an Aeroflot aircraft, landed on Svalbard. All this time it was the mining company Store Norske who was responsible for shoveling the runway, that only could operate in the winter, while there was snow.
[edit] A "real" airport
On August 14, 1975 the new, all-year paved-surface airport with terminals was opened at Longyearbyen. Its construction was rather controversial, since the Svalbard Treaty specified that Norway could not have any military installations on the islands; however, the new airport could potentially be used by NATO forces in an attack of the Soviet Union. On the other hand the then Soviet mining community at Barentsburg also benefited from the construction of the new airport which connected it to the mainland.
When the new airport was finished, a permanent consession was given to Scandinavian Airlines to operate the route, using Douglas DC-9 aircraft; Aeroflot began operating flights to the Soviet Union. Fred Olsens Flyselskap was chartered inn for cargo flights. In 1987 Braathens SAFE reentered the market, flying in parallel with SAS. Lufttransport has been at the airport since 1978.
[edit] Engineering
The main problem constructing the airport was that it had to build on permafrost. Among other things, the runway is insulated against the ground, so that it won't melt during the summer. The hangar is the largest building in the world to be frozen into the ground.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
Regular:
- SAS Braathens (Oslo, Tromsø)
Charter:
- Lufttransport (Ny-Ålesund, Svea)
- Vnukovo Airlines (Murmansk, Moscow)
[edit] Accidents and incidents
- October 10, 1986 - A Cessna aircraft crashed immediately after leaving Svalbard Airport, all six onboard died.
- August 29, 1996 - Vnukovo Airlines flight 2801 from Vnukovo Airport, Moscow crashed into a mountain about 14km from the airport, all 141 people onboard died. It is the worst air crash in Norwegian history. [4]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
| Airports of Norway |
|---|
| Primary Airports Alta | Bardufoss | Bergen | Bodø | Harstad/Narvik | Haugesund | Kirkenes | Kristiansand | Kristiansund | Lakselv | Molde | Oslo | Stavanger | Tromsø | Trondheim | Ålesund |
| Regional Airports Andenes | Brønnøysund | Båtsfjord | Berlevåg | Fagernes | Florø | Førde | Hammerfest | Hasvik | Honningsvåg | Leknes | Mehamn | Mo i Rana | Mosjøen | Namsos | Narvik | Røros | Rørvik | Røst | Sandane | Sandnessjøen | Sogndal | Stokmarknes | Svolvær | Sørkjosen | Vadsø | Vardø | Værøy | Ørsta/Volda |
| Overseas Territories Jan Mayen | Longyearbyen | Ny-Ålesund | Svea |
| Private Notodden | Sandefjord | Skien | Stord |
| Air Force Stations Andøya | Banak | Bardufoss | Bodø | Gardermoen | Rygge | Sola | Ørland |
| Closed Geilo | Oslo-Fornebu |
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