Aviation in Svalbard Part 2

While Part 1 of this account attempted to provide an overview of the pioneering events that secured Svalbard a place in aviation history, the challenges which confront present operators in the area are still significant.

The geographical and physical demands that are placed on machines and their operators, devoid of the normal support services found in more developed areas as a result of lack of demand and consequently funding, provide a continuation of much of the pioneering spirit of the past.

Coal mining continued to be the only significant industry in Svalbard after flying boats and airships had departed the scene in the 1930s and seaborne traffic sufficed to provide transport for both goods and personnel.

During WWII German Troops occupied Longyearbyen and visited the other small inhabited sites in Svalbard, destroying anything they believed significant. Nevertheless no strategic use seems have been found for the area and maritime deliveries of coal continued to the (occupied) Norwegian mainland.

The photograph below was found at the small museum in Longyearbyen.

A Luftwaffe Arado 232 appears to have come to grief when the starboard main undercarriage leg collapsed on landing on the tundra just outside Longyearbyen. The tripod in the foreground with a cable link to the aircraft poses a query. Also note the man crawling up to the port wingtip.

The post-war aviation “boom” seemed to avoid Svalbard and it was not until the late 1950s that the area experienced tentative steps to exploit the advantages that aerial transportation could provide.

The following provides a brief chronology of the slow development of aviation services:

16 February 1958 - a Norwegian Air Force Catalina amphibian landed on a strip which had been scraped in the level riverside tundra area at Aventdalen to collect a seriously ill person. It made the 14 hour return trip from Bodo. Note that this would have been during a period of total darkness.

The site of the original landing strip to the east of Longyearbyen, with the paved surface visible between the two front (contemporary) buildings. A windsock (unlikely to be original) may be seen in the right background.

16 March 1958 - two Catalinas carried the first aerial mail to Longyearbyen.

A snapshot photo by Knut Subbust from the Norwegian Air Force archives and believed to show a RNAF Catalina delivering mail to Longyearbyen. While an amphibian version, it had obviously landed on the sea, rather than a scraped land strip..

2 April 1959 – a Braathens South American Far East (S.A.F.E.) Douglas DC-4, captained by Halvdan Furoy, carrying 54 persons, made the first passenger flight to Longyearbyen and landed on a 1,800 metre long airstrip scraped from the tundra. Further such flights arrived during 1962, 1963 and 1964.

16 December 1965 - with the tundra strip lit by miners’ lamps, the first passenger night landing was made, again by a Braathen’s Douglas DC-4.

31 August 1967 – while unconnected with development of aviation services, an unusual crash occurred on Prins Karls Forland, an island off the central west coast of Spitsbergen, when a French Navy Breguet Atlantic maritime patrol aircraft crashed with the loss of all 11 crew. No significant report on the cause of that event appears to have been published.

Svalbard Airport (LYR)

14 August 1975 the permanent airport site, with a paved runway measuring 2,140 x 45 metres was declared open. The aircraft carrying King Olav of Norway, who was due to carry out the formal ceremony, and other officials, was, however, unable to land due to foul weather.

2 September 1975 - King Olav and his entourage finally arrived and officially opened the Airport. At that time three companies operated regular flight from the Airport – Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) – 4 flights from Norway per week, Aeroflot – 1 flight per fortnight from Moscow and Lufttransport (helicopter services).

March 1979 - 10M kroner was provided to construct a 2,000 metre2 hangar.

14 August 1987 - Braathens S.A.F.E. recommenced service to the Airport using Boeing 737s.

The single runway, aligned 10/28 has been extended to 2,483 metres. The paved surface has been applied over a frost stable fill to reduce the risk of the underlying permafrost below from becoming unfrozen in summer. As can be seen in the photograph below, there is open water at each end of the runway.

(Avinor photo)

Sadly, on 29 August 1996, the Airport would feature in Norway’s worst aircraft crash when a Tupolev Tu-154M operated by Vnukovo Airlines on a charter flight flew into a mountain top 14 kilometres from the Airport when on final approach to Longyearbyen from Vnukovo Airport, Moscow. All 141 persons on board were killed. The 130 passengers on the charter flight were Russian and Ukrainian miners and their relatives, including wives and children, associated with the Russian mining settlements at Pyramiden and Barentsburg. The subsequent inquiry found that there had been misunderstandings between air traffic control at LYR and the Tu-104’s flight crew, which led to a premature descent into high ground.

Angela and I had first-hand experience of the Airport on 30 July 2016 when we flew on a charter flight from LYR to Stansted, operated by a Boeing 757 of Titan Airways. Our flight was one of only two due to use the airport that day.

Our group of around 80 persons were delivered by bus to the forecourt, providing an opportunity to examine the finger signs showing “crow flies” distances to numerous other points across the world.

Having assembled in the departures hall, we quickly found that the handling company for the flight, SAS, was unable to check us in for the flight. Apparently the UK chartering company had failed to provide SAS with a list of booked passengers which melded digitally with their check-in computer system. This impasse was eventually resolved by one of our group leader’s email exchange with the charterers in the UK. Security checks further delayed our entry into the small departures lounge area, which provided refreshment facilities and a small shop, but those were little used as boarding commenced quite quickly.

As there had been no inbound passengers and the returning passenger load only filled about a third of available seats, our large cabin crew went along with the convivial spirit that developed on the flight back to the UK. The lightly loaded jet separated quickly from the modest LYR runway and we then enjoyed fine views of the southern landscape of Spitzbergen before setting course for the long crossing of northern seas.

The Departures Hall on 30 July 2016, with a “no-go” situation at the check-in desks.

Passengers arriving at Longyearbyen are provided with an immediate reminder of the threat that lurks beyond the exit doors.

An airside view of the Longyearbyen Terminal and Control Tower. Passengers are boarding the Titan Airways Boeing 757 on the right.

Ny-Alesund airfield

The many international research bases located in this small community north of Longyearbyen can be served by both small fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. The “new” airport is located on the other side of the developed area to the pre-WWII area used for both airship and aircraft expeditions described in Part 1 of this article. The photograph below was taken during July 2016. Flights between Longyearbyen and Ny Alesund are generally operated by a Dornier 228 of Lufttransport. The yellow runway approach light masts can be seen near the centre of the picture. The satellite and radar equipment is related to the nearby arctic research facilities.

Helicopter landing grounds

Crudely levelled emergency landing areas are situated in several areas of Svalbard to allow helicopter support to be provided in critical circumstances, such as shipwreck or accidents to personnel working in remote sites.

Lufttransport is the primary commercial aircraft operator in Svalbard, with a majority of helicopter flights carried out on behalf of Norwegian Air Ambulance or the Coast Guard. Other services are provided to ships off-shore and to the Svalbard Government when polar bears are removed from inhabited areas by underslung nets and relocated in the wilds. The company normally only positions one aircraft permanently in the territory, at present a Dornier 228 twin engine landplane.

LN-OLR, a Eurocopter 332L1 Super Puma of Lufttransport was the only aircraft we saw airborne during our visit to Svalbard and is seen here about to land at Longyearbyen.

A typical emergency landing area for helicopters. The red drums alongside the levelled area contain aviation turbine fuel which are exchanged every couple of years if they not been used. The landing grounds are either placed near areas of human activity and / or on route to other landing grounds in case there is need for refuelling. If necessary, flares or a small fire will be used by persons waiting on the ground to provide an indication of wind direction.

Note

Unless otherwise indicated all photographs were taken by the writer.

February 2017