Hammerfest Airport (IATA: HFT, ICAO: ENHF) (Norwegian: Hammerfest lufthavn) is an airport serving the town of Hammerfest in Finnmark, Norway. The airport is located north of the town centre. The airport was opened on 30 July 1974 as part of a series of regional airports in northern Norway. It is operated by Avinor. In 2007, the airport served 148,541 passengers, making it the third largest airport in Finnmark. Traffic increased by 8.6% by April 2007 (domestic flights: 10.1%, international flights: 5.9%), compared to an average 5.6% movements increase during the same period (domestic: 6.7%, international: 2.6%).

The airport is served by Widerøe who operates flights to mainly Tromsø, which have connections onwards to Southern Norway. Widerøe operates De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 aircraft from Hammerfest. The helicopter company Norsk Helikopter also operates flights to offshore installations.

Photos provided by www.flickr.com are under the copyright of their owners	Hammerfest Airport - Photo by Michele Badiale from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/skandymicky/2703536314/in/photostream/

Accidents and incidents

On 1 May 2005, the Widerøe Dash-8-100 airplane LN-WIK was buffeted by strong winds upon landing, and the landing gear on the right wing collapsed. While several passengers sustained injuries, there were no fatalities in the incident, but the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority imposed the strictest wind regulations in Norway upon the airport.

New airport

Due to being located at a windy location, the airport sometimes can be closed for entire days. To allow better regularity, local politicians have proposed building a new airport at Grøtnes, 15 km south of the city (about 70°34′N 23°43′E). Initial plans involve building a 1,200 meter runway, allowing larger turboprops to operate. Some politicians have suggested instead building a 2,000 meter runway, that would allow jet aircraft to operate direct flights to Oslo. A report from the Institute of Transport Economics claims the project with a longer runway would be profitable for society—but a large cost for Avinor—and that there would be enough passengers for three daily round trips to Oslo. However, there is a certain amount of uncertainty since the petroleum industry's future demand is unknown. Costs for the new airport are estimated between NOK 800 and 1,000 million, depending on the solution. Avinor has other priorities, and it is uncertain whether Hammerfest would be prioritized in the near future. A new primary airport in Hammerfest will reduce the basis for services at Alta and Lakselv, and some local politicians there feel it is better to not build a new airport.. Car or bus to Alta or Lakselv (2 hours needed) is a common way of travelling Hammerfest-Oslo today.

Summary

Airport type - Public
Operator - Avinor
Serves - Hammerfest
Location - Hammerfest
Elevation AMSL - 799 ft / 78.9 m
Coordinates - 70°40'47"N 23°40'08"E

Runways

Direction - 05/23

Length - 2625 ft or 800 m

Surface - Asphalt

Contact us

Airport service hours
Monday - Friday: 06:45 - 22:30
Saturday: 06:45 - 22:30
Sunday: 06:45 - 22:30

Inquiries about Avinor Hammerfest Airport
Phone : (+47) 67 03 50 50
Fax : (+47) 67 03 50 64

Visiting address

Avinor, Hammerfest Airport, 9600 Hammerfest, Norway

Mailing address

Avinor, Hammerfest Airport, Postboks 150, 2061 Gardermoen, Norway

URL: http://www.avinor.no/en/airport/hammerfest

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http://www.avinor.no/en/airport/hammerfest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerfest_Airport
www.flickr.com
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