Hammerfest Airport
Encyclopedia
Hammerfest Airport is an airport serving the town of Hammerfest
in Finnmark
, Norway
. The airport is located north of the town centre. The airport was opened on 30 July 1974 as part of a series of regional airports in northern Norway. It is operated by Avinor
. In 2007, the airport served 148,541 passengers , making it the third largest airport in Finnmark. Traffic increased by 8.6% by April 2007 (domestic flights: 10.1%, international flights: 5.9%), compared to an average 5.6% movements increase during the same period (domestic: 6.7%, international: 2.6%).
The airport is served by Widerøe
who operates flights to mainly Tromsø, which have connections onwards to Southern Norway. Widerøe operates De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 aircraft from Hammerfest. The helicopter company Norsk Helikopter
also operates flights to offshore installations
.
on the right wing collapsed. While several passengers sustained injuries, there were no fatalities in the incident, but the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority imposed the strictest wind regulations in Norway upon the airport.
. A report from the Institute of Transport Economics
claims the project with a longer runway would be profitable for the society—but a large cost for Avinor—and that there would be enough passengers for three daily round trips to Oslo. However, there is a certain amount of uncertainty since the petroleum industry's future demand is unknown. Costs for the new airport are estimated between NOK 800 and 1,000 million, depending on the solution. Avinor has other priorities, and they do not want to prioritize Hammerfest in the near future, but it will mainly be the Norwegian government who will decide. Car or bus to Alta airport (2 hours needed) is a common way of travelling Hammerfest-Oslo today.
Hammerfest
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The municipality encompasses parts of three islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Hammerfest was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
in Finnmark
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
, 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...
. The airport is located north of the town centre. The airport was opened on 30 July 1974 as part of a series of regional airports in northern Norway. It is operated by 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 2007, the airport served 148,541 passengers , making it the third largest airport in Finnmark. Traffic increased by 8.6% by April 2007 (domestic flights: 10.1%, international flights: 5.9%), compared to an average 5.6% movements increase during the same period (domestic: 6.7%, international: 2.6%).
The airport is served by Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
who operates flights to mainly Tromsø, which have connections onwards to Southern Norway. Widerøe operates De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 aircraft from Hammerfest. The helicopter company Norsk Helikopter
Norsk Helikopter
Bristow Norway AS is a Norwegian helicopter company that transports crew to oil installations in the North Sea. It has headquarters in Stavanger and has additional operations out of Bergen, Brønnøysund, Hammerfest and the oil platform Heidrun...
also operates flights to offshore installations
Offshore construction
Offshore construction is the installation of structures and facilities in a marine environment, usually for the production and transmission of electricity, oil, gas and other resources....
.
Airlines and destinations
Accidents and incidents
On 1 May 2005, the Widerøe Dash-8-100 airplane LN-WIK was buffeted by strong winds upon landing, and the landing gearLanding Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
on the right wing collapsed. While several passengers sustained injuries, there were no fatalities in the incident, but the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority imposed the strictest wind regulations in Norway upon the airport.
New airport
Due to strong winds, the airport sometimes has to be closed for entire days. To allow for better regularity, local politicians have proposed building a new airport at Grøtnes, 15 km south of the city (about 70°34′N 23°43′E). Initial plans involve building a 1,200 meter runway, allowing larger turboprops to operate. Some politicians have suggested building a 2,000 meter runway instead, one that would allow jet aircraft to operate direct flights to OsloOslo Airport, Gardermoen
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen is the principal airport serving Oslo, Norway. It acts as the main domestic hub and international airport for Norway, and the second-busiest airport in the Nordic countries. A hub for Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle, and a focus city for Widerøe, it is...
. A report from the Institute of Transport Economics
Institute of Transport Economics
The Institute of Transport Economics is a research institution working within the field of transport economics, predominantly applied research in Norway. It was founded as a government agency in 1958, and since 1964 as a subsidiary of the Royal Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial...
claims the project with a longer runway would be profitable for the society—but a large cost for Avinor—and that there would be enough passengers for three daily round trips to Oslo. However, there is a certain amount of uncertainty since the petroleum industry's future demand is unknown. Costs for the new airport are estimated between NOK 800 and 1,000 million, depending on the solution. Avinor has other priorities, and they do not want to prioritize Hammerfest in the near future, but it will mainly be the Norwegian government who will decide. Car or bus to Alta airport (2 hours needed) is a common way of travelling Hammerfest-Oslo today.