Transport in Svalbard
Encyclopedia
Svalbard
, Norway
, is a vast, very sparsely inhabited Arctic
archipelago
. With fewer than 3,000 inhabitants in four communities, plus some smaller meteorological and scientific outposts, there are no communities connected by road. Off-road motorized transport is prohibited on bare ground, but snowmobiles are used extensively during winter, both for commercial and recreational activities. Transport from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg (45 km (28 mi)) and Pyramiden (100 km (62.1 mi)) is possible by snowmobile at winter, or by ship all year round. Road systems exist within the communities of Longyearbyen
, Barentsburg
, Sveagruva and Ny-Ålesund
. All settlements have ports and Longyearbyen has a bus system.
There are three airports in the Svalbard area, Svalbard Airport, Ny-Ålesund Airport and Svea Airport
.
Svalbard Airport, Longyear is the main airport serving the archipelago. Located 3 kilometres (2 mi) northwest of Longyearbyen, it is the northernmost airport in the world with public scheduled flights. The first airport near Longyearbyen was constructed during World War II. It was first put into use for occasional flights in 1959, but could only be operated a few months a year. Construction of the new airport at Hotellneset started in 1973, and the airport was opened on 2 September 1975. It is owned and operated by state-owned Avinor
. In 2009, the airport had 138,934 passengers. Scandinavian Airlines System
operates daily flights to Tromsø
and Oslo
on mainland Norway. Lufttransport
provides services to Ny-Ålesund Airport and Svea Airport
, using Dornier Do 228
turboprop aircraft. There are also regular charter flights. On 29 August 1996, Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801
crashed into Operafjellet
mountain about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from the airport. All 141 people on board the Tupolev Tu-154M
were killed. It is the worst air crash in Norwegian history.
Arktikugol, the owner of the company town
of Barentsburg, operates a Mil Mi-8
helicopter from the heliport
at Heerodden, 2 kilometres (1 mi) outside of town, as well as a heliport at their former town of Pyramiden
. During the Cold War
, Aeroflot
retained a large helicopter base at Heerodden, operating five Mi-8 which could quickly be retrofitted with arms, plus regular staff both at Svalbard Airport (for occasional charter flights) and Heerodden. In 2006, one helicopter was lost in the Heerodden helicopter accident.
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, is a vast, very sparsely inhabited Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
. With fewer than 3,000 inhabitants in four communities, plus some smaller meteorological and scientific outposts, there are no communities connected by road. Off-road motorized transport is prohibited on bare ground, but snowmobiles are used extensively during winter, both for commercial and recreational activities. Transport from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg (45 km (28 mi)) and Pyramiden (100 km (62.1 mi)) is possible by snowmobile at winter, or by ship all year round. Road systems exist within the communities of Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of Svalbard, Norway. It is located on the western coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, on the southern side on Adventfjorden , which continues inland with Adventdalen...
, Barentsburg
Barentsburg
Barentsburg is the second largest settlement on Svalbard, with about 500 inhabitants , almost entirely Russians and Ukrainians. The Russian-owned Arktikugol has been mining coal here since 1932.-Status:...
, Sveagruva and Ny-Ålesund
Ny-Ålesund
Ny-Ålesund is one of the four permanent settlements on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. It is located on the Brøgger peninsula at Kongsfjorden...
. All settlements have ports and Longyearbyen has a bus system.
Aviation
Svea Airport
Svea Airport , is an airport that services the mining community of Sveagruva on the Norwegian overseas territory of Svalbard. The airport is owned, operated and used by the mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani to transport personnel to Svalbard Airport, Longyear at Longyearbyen...
.
Svalbard Airport, Longyear is the main airport serving the archipelago. Located 3 kilometres (2 mi) northwest of Longyearbyen, it is the northernmost airport in the world with public scheduled flights. The first airport near Longyearbyen was constructed during World War II. It was first put into use for occasional flights in 1959, but could only be operated a few months a year. Construction of the new airport at Hotellneset started in 1973, and the airport was opened on 2 September 1975. It is owned and operated by state-owned Avinor
Avinor
Avinor AS is a state owned limited company in that operates most of the civil airports in Norway. The Norwegian state, via the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications controls 100 percent of the share capital. Avinor was created on 1 January 2003, by the privatization of the...
. In 2009, the airport had 138,934 passengers. Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the largest airline in Scandinavia....
operates daily flights to Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
and Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
on mainland Norway. Lufttransport
Lufttransport
Lufttransport is a Norwegian helicopter and fixed-wing airline that operates primarily air ambulance helicopters and planes for the Norwegian and Swedish governments...
provides services to Ny-Ålesund Airport and Svea Airport
Svea Airport
Svea Airport , is an airport that services the mining community of Sveagruva on the Norwegian overseas territory of Svalbard. The airport is owned, operated and used by the mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani to transport personnel to Svalbard Airport, Longyear at Longyearbyen...
, using Dornier Do 228
Dornier Do 228
The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...
turboprop aircraft. There are also regular charter flights. On 29 August 1996, Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801
Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801
Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 was an international charter flight that, on 29 August 1996 at 10:22:23 Central European Summer Time, crashed in Operafjellet, Svalbard, Norway. All 141 people aboard the Tupolev Tu-154M were killed during the approach to Svalbard Airport, Longyear, making it the...
crashed into Operafjellet
Operafjellet
Operafjellet is a mountain on Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Norway. It is tall and is located on the north side of Adventfjorden. It is named for the amphitheatre-shape of the mountain on the western side, with the peak Tenoren sticking up...
mountain about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from the airport. All 141 people on board the Tupolev Tu-154M
Tupolev Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown...
were killed. It is the worst air crash in Norwegian history.
Arktikugol, the owner of the company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
of Barentsburg, operates a Mil Mi-8
Mil Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....
helicopter from the heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
at Heerodden, 2 kilometres (1 mi) outside of town, as well as a heliport at their former town of Pyramiden
Pyramiden
Pyramiden is an abandoned Russian settlement and coal mining community on the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway. It was founded by Sweden in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927...
. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
retained a large helicopter base at Heerodden, operating five Mi-8 which could quickly be retrofitted with arms, plus regular staff both at Svalbard Airport (for occasional charter flights) and Heerodden. In 2006, one helicopter was lost in the Heerodden helicopter accident.