Longyearbyen Airport

Replacement by a modern, all-weather airport. The Adventdalen Airport was a rudimentary gravel and ice runway built on permafrost in the Adventdalen valley. It could only operate during the winter when the ground was frozen and daylight was sufficient. It lacked modern navigation and landing aids, making operations unreliable and seasonal. It was permanently closed upon the opening of the new, all-year Svalbard Airport, Longyear (ENSB/LYR) on September 2, 1975, which provided a paved runway and the necessary infrastructure for safe, year-round commercial flights.

The site of the former Adventdalen Airport is now part of the natural landscape of the Adventdalen valley. The path of the old runway is no longer maintained and has been largely reclaimed by tundra vegetation and permafrost processes, though its outline can still be discerned, particularly from the air. The area is now used for recreational purposes, such as snowmobiling, dog sledding, and skiing in the winter, and hiking in the summer. The main road leading to Mine 7 and the EISCAT Svalbard Radar runs parallel to or across the former airstrip.

The Adventdalen Airport was the first land-based airfield to provide semi-regular civilian air services to Longyearbyen and was crucial in reducing the settlement's winter isolation. Established in 1959 by the mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani, it initially handled mail drops and later passenger and medical evacuation flights. Operations were conducted by airlines like Braathens SAFE, using aircraft such as the Douglas DC-4 and later the Fokker F-27 Friendship. These flights were a vital lifeline to mainland Norway during the polar night when the sea was frozen and shipping was impossible. The airport was a simple, unpaved strip, and its operation represented a significant logistical achievement in the harsh Arctic environment before the construction of a permanent facility.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the Adventdalen Airport. The modern Svalbard Airport, Longyear (ENSB/LYR), located a few kilometers away at Hotellneset, is a fully equipped international airport that comprehensively serves the aviation needs of the entire Svalbard archipelago. The old site is environmentally sensitive, technically obsolete, and completely redundant.