Narvik Airport, Framnes
Encyclopedia
Narvik Airport, Framnes is a regional airport serving the city of Narvik
in Nordland
, Norway
. The airport is a secondary airport with only short regional flights, while the primary Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
has long-distance jet services. Framnes is significantly closer to Narvik than Evenes, being located at the tip of the Framnes peninsula, immediately west of the city. In 2005 the airport had 13,772 passengers. The airport has a single 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) long runway
numbered 01/19.
Framnes Airport is served by Widerøe
with daily flights to Bodø
, Andenes
and Tromsø. From Bodø there is connecting flights with Scandinavian Airlines and Widerøe
to destinations like Oslo
, Trondheim
, Bergen
and Mo i Rana
.
The flights from Framnes are supported by the government of Norway (Public Service Obligation
), mainly for the reason to connect the cities of northern Norway to each other for the benefit of business people. The driving time by car is relatively long, about 5 hours to Bodø, 3½ hours to Tromsø and 4½ hours to Andenes. Travel to Oslo is usually done via the Evenes Airport.
–Narvik–Tromsø
route. The small size of the airport, combined with its proximity to Evenes (79 km road), made NVK a candidate for closure from 31 March 2006. However, the airport remained open, while Widerøe acquired the Narvik routes from Kato Air. When Widerøe took over the route with slightly larger aircraft (Dash 8 rather than Dornier 228), traffic at the airport nearly doubled to 2,000 passengers per month.
, which is scheduled to open in 2016, will reduce travel distance from Narvik to Evenes by 17 km and reduce travel time from 60 to 40 minutes. The savings in government spending, including both the deficits from the airport and paying for the PSO operations, will contribute to finance the bridge. Also, the airport is need of safety upgrades, which would have to be incurred about the time the bridge opens, which could free up additional revenue. The airport could remain in use for general aviation
.
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
in Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
, 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 a secondary airport with only short regional flights, while the primary Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes is located in the Evenes municipality, in Nordland county in northern Norway. Some of the runway lighting at the north end of the runway crosses the county border into the Skånland municipality in Troms...
has long-distance jet services. Framnes is significantly closer to Narvik than Evenes, being located at the tip of the Framnes peninsula, immediately west of the city. In 2005 the airport had 13,772 passengers. The airport has a single 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) long runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
numbered 01/19.
Framnes 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...
with daily flights to Bodø
Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport is civil airport in Bodø, Norway. Located just south of the city centre, on the westernmost tip of the peninsula Bodø lies on, it shares facilities with the military air force base Bodø Main Air Station. The airport has a single concrete, runway which runs in a roughly east-west...
, Andenes
Andøya Airport, Andenes
Andøya Airport, Andenes is the airport serving Andenes, Norway, in the municipality of Andøy. It is located right next to the town of Andenes network in Norway, being served by Widerøe. Andøya Airport is owned and operated by Avinor.-History:The first idea of building a military airport was...
and Tromsø. From Bodø there is connecting flights with Scandinavian Airlines and 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...
to destinations like Oslo
Oslo 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...
, Trondheim
Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes is an international airport located in Stjørdal, east of Trondheim, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2010, the airport had 3,521,734 passengers and 55,747 air movements,...
, Bergen
Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport, Flesland is an international airport located southwest of Bergen, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the second-busiest airport in Norway, with 5,296,325 passengers in 2010. Flesland is operated by the state-owned Avinor...
and Mo i Rana
Mo i Rana Airport, Røssvoll
Mo i Rana Airport, Røssvoll is a regional airport serving Mo i Rana in Nordland, Norway. In 2005 Mo i Rana Airport had 71,454 passengers. It is operated by Avinor.-Service:...
.
The flights from Framnes are supported by the government of Norway (Public Service Obligation
Public Service Obligation
In transport, public service obligation or PSO is an arrangement in which a governing body or other authority offers an auction for subsidies, permit the winning company a monopoly to operate a specified service of public transport for a specified period of time for the given subsidy...
), mainly for the reason to connect the cities of northern Norway to each other for the benefit of business people. The driving time by car is relatively long, about 5 hours to Bodø, 3½ hours to Tromsø and 4½ hours to Andenes. Travel to Oslo is usually done via the Evenes Airport.
History
Narvik Airport was built as part of the regional airport network in Northern Norway in the 1970, being originally served by Widerøe. In 2003 Kato Air won the contract on the BodøBodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
–Narvik–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...
route. The small size of the airport, combined with its proximity to Evenes (79 km road), made NVK a candidate for closure from 31 March 2006. However, the airport remained open, while Widerøe acquired the Narvik routes from Kato Air. When Widerøe took over the route with slightly larger aircraft (Dash 8 rather than Dornier 228), traffic at the airport nearly doubled to 2,000 passengers per month.
Future
The proposed Hålogaland BridgeHålogaland Bridge
Hålogaland Bridge is a proposed suspension bridge which would cross Rombaksfjorden in Narvik, Norway. It would be part of European Route E6 and shorten the section from Narvik to Bjerkvik by and from Narvik to Bjørnfjell, along European Route E10 by . The bridge is estimated to cost 2.2 billion...
, which is scheduled to open in 2016, will reduce travel distance from Narvik to Evenes by 17 km and reduce travel time from 60 to 40 minutes. The savings in government spending, including both the deficits from the airport and paying for the PSO operations, will contribute to finance the bridge. Also, the airport is need of safety upgrades, which would have to be incurred about the time the bridge opens, which could free up additional revenue. The airport could remain in use for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
.