Lakselv Airport, Banak
Encyclopedia
Lakselv Airport, Banak is located 1,5 km from the town of Lakselv in the municipality of Porsanger
Porsanger
Porsanger or Porsáŋgu or Porsanki is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lakselv...

 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...

 county, in northern 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 also serves Karasjok
Karasjok
Kárášjohka or is a village and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Karasjok.-Name:Karasjok is a Norwegianized form of the Sámi name Kárášjohka...

, some 74 km to the south, with a corresponding airport coach
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...

 six days a week. It is marketed under the name North Cape Airport, even though North Cape
North Cape, Norway
North Cape is a cape on the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at , 2102.3 km from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring point Knivskjellodden is actually...

 is 180 km away, while Honningsvåg Airport, Valan
Honningsvåg Airport, Valan
Honningsvåg Airport, Valan is located at Valan, north of the city centre of Honningsvåg, in Nordkapp municipality in Finnmark, Norway. It is owned and operated by Avinor AS....

 is only 35 km from the cape. Lakselv Airport is owned and 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...

, serving 56,954 passengers in 2009.

The airport has daily connections 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 Alta
Alta, Norway
-Birdlife:For those interested in bird watching, the river outlet, known locally as Altaosen is well worth a visit. This tidal area is used as a stopover for many wetland species.-Transportation:...

, operated 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...

, as well as international charter flights during the summer season. It is the northernmost airport in European mainland which has a runway long enough for jet aircraft such as Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...

. Station Group Banak operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force
Royal Norwegian Air Force
The Royal Norwegian Air Force is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peace force is approximately 1,430 employees . 600 personnel also serve their draft period in the RNoAF...

 also operates at the airport.

History

Banak first saw use as an airport in 1938, when the military constructed a small gravel field diagonally on today's runway, about 11/29. The original runway is still partially visible in areas with little vegetation.

During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the German occupying forces expanded the airport, with hangars, workshops, hospitals in addition to defence positions. The buildings and installations were destroyed during the German retreat in 1944.

After the war the airport was taken over by the Air Force, but the runway's wooden surface was cannbalised because of material shortage during the first reconstruction period in Finnmark. By 1951 the runway was unusable, and the activities ceased temporarily.

Lakselv Airport opened again in 1963 along with the other two primary airports in Finnmark, Alta Airport
Alta Airport
Alta Airport is the airport of Alta, Norway. It is located about northeast of the town center of Alta, near the community Elvebakken on the southern shore of the Altafjord. The airport has a single paved runway. The government-owned Avinor is responsible for operations...

 and Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen
Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen is the airport serving Kirkenes in eastern Finnmark, Norway. Høybuktmoen is located west of Kirkenes, at the base of a peninsula jutting into Varangerfjord...

. The airport was financed through NATO and in addition to a civilian airport was host to a military air station. The airport has since been expanded several times to meet military and civilian requirements.

Airlines and destinations

Accidents and incidents

  • On 29 June 2005 an ICP Savannah
    ICP Savannah
    The ICP Savannah is a high wing, single engine, ultralight with side-by-side seating for two produced in Italy. It has sold in large numbers, particularly in Europe. The Savannah is in production, in both kit and ready to fly form.-Design and development:...

     micro aircraft crashed only a few minutes after its departure from Banak, with two flight instructors onboard. Both instructors were killed in the accident.
  • On 23 March 1992 an F-16A lost power at 18 000 feet altitude. Pilot survived after aiming the aircraft at an unpopulated area and ejecting at an altitude of 3000 feet.
  • On 12 June 1985 an F-16B with two people on board experienced control problems north of Banak. The pilot ejected and survived while one officer from Banak Air Station died.
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