Tromsø Airport, Langnes
Encyclopedia
Tromsø Airport, Langnes (Norwegian: Tromsø lufthavn) is situated in Tromsø
, on the western side of the island of Tromsøya
, 1.7 Nautical mile
s (3.1 km) northwest of the city center, which is on the eastern side of the island. The airport is the largest airport in Northern Norway (Norwegian: Nord-Norge), serving 1,629,967 passengers in 2009.
Tromsø Airport serves Tromsø, as well as northern and central parts of Troms
county. It is an important hub for flights to many airports in Finnmark
, though most passengers travel to and from Oslo
. Most scheduled flights are domestic, including flights to Svalbard Airport, Longyear at Longyearbyen
, though a few international destinations are also served (London Gatwick
, England
, Riga
, Latvia
and Murmansk
, Russia
). Additionally, charter operators fly to some destinations in Southern Europe
and the Canary Islands
.
s. In 1974 the airport became a hub
for the new regional STOL
(short takeoff and landing) network that opened in Finnmark using de Havilland
Twin Otter
aircraft.
The original terminal
was replaced by a newer building, shaped like a semicircle, in 1977. The current terminal was built in 1998 as part of a comprehensive expansion and modernization of the airport; it included a new control tower and, for the first time, passenger jet bridges at several gates. Part of the road leading to the airport was re-routed in a tunnel under the runway. Some portions of the older terminal buildings are still in use.
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...
, on the western side of the island of Tromsøya
Tromsøya
Tromsøya is a small island in the strait between the mainland and Kvaløya island in Tromsø municipality, Troms county, Norway. It contains the city centre and several residential areas of the city of Tromsø and has given the city its name. The island's area is roughly and has a population of...
, 1.7 Nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (3.1 km) northwest of the city center, which is on the eastern side of the island. The airport is the largest airport in Northern Norway (Norwegian: Nord-Norge), serving 1,629,967 passengers in 2009.
Tromsø Airport serves Tromsø, as well as northern and central parts of Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
county. It is an important hub for flights to many airports 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...
, though most passengers travel to and from 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...
. Most scheduled flights are domestic, including flights to Svalbard Airport, Longyear at 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...
, though a few international destinations are also served (London Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Riga
Riga International Airport
-Cargo airlines:*DHL Express*Inversija*RAF-Avia*Sprintair*TNT NV*Transavibaltika*UPS-Traffic statistics:Riga International Airport is one of three notable airports in Latvia. The other two are Liepāja International Airport and Ventspils Airport. Riga International Airport's biggest air carrier is...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Murmansk
Murmansk Airport
Murmansk Airport is the international airport of Murmansk, Russia. It is located near the town of Murmashi in Murmansk's southern suburbs, 24 km outside the citycentre....
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
). Additionally, charter operators fly to some destinations in Southern Europe
Southern Europe
The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...
and the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
History
Work on the airport began on July 1, 1963, and it was officially opened for traffic on September 14, 1964. The city had enjoyed regularly scheduled flights from the 1930s, including the all important route to Oslo since 1939. However, until Tromsø Airport opened, all such traffic had been handled by seaplaneSeaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s. In 1974 the airport became a hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
for the new regional STOL
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
(short takeoff and landing) network that opened in Finnmark using de Havilland
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
Twin Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
aircraft.
The original terminal
Airport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
was replaced by a newer building, shaped like a semicircle, in 1977. The current terminal was built in 1998 as part of a comprehensive expansion and modernization of the airport; it included a new control tower and, for the first time, passenger jet bridges at several gates. Part of the road leading to the airport was re-routed in a tunnel under the runway. Some portions of the older terminal buildings are still in use.