and fast ferry services; travel time to Hammerfest is two hours. Airlines and destinations Alta Airport is served by three scheduled airlines and two charter airlines, providing services to eleven destinations, including two abroad. Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle serve the airport using Boeing 737 aircraft, each providing services to Oslo. Widerøe operates regional services in Finnmark on a public service obligation contract with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. However, there is seven (three direct) daily services to Tromsø. Widerøe operates de Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft on their services, using both the 39- and the 50-passenger Dash 8 aircraft to Tromsø, and the 39-passenger Dash 8 aircraft only on services to regional airports in Finnmark. Alta Airport's catchment area includes Kautokeino, Loppa and Kvænangen. The catchment area partially includes Hammerfest ( by road) and Kvalsund (). Both of these areas have Hammerfest Airport as their local airport, but the regional airport does not provide direct flights to Oslo and the prices to Tromsø are higher. In 2007, an estimated 81,000 passenger-flights at Alta Airport were generated by people living in Hammerfest and Kvalsund. Also journeys to and from other parts of western Finnmark to Alta Airport are often made via Alta, for example from the area around Honningsvåg Airport, Valan. The pass at Sennalandet is sometimes closed during snow storms. If this happens, the alternative route takes five to six hours (363 km), so the weather forecast should be checked 6–8 hours before. Statistics Future A proposal by a consultant company, ordered by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in 2011, suggested that starting in 2013 the subsidized routes in Finnmark should follow a coastal route, leaving those to Kirkenes and the county capital of Vadsø as the only subsidized routes remaining at Alta. There are proposals to build a new airport for Hammerfest at Grøtnes, either with a runway. If the former is selected, Hammerfest could serve direct flights to Oslo. This would severely reduce Alta's catchment area as a primary airport and could result in a reduction in Oslo flights. The Norwegian government has decided not to build the Hammerfest-Grøtnes airport, and instead improve the Alta-Hammerfest road which started 2015. Also the roads towards Kautokeino and Tromsø are being improved during the period 2010–2019. References Bibliography External links Alta, Norway Avinor airports Airports in Troms og Finnmark Airports established in 1963 1963 establishments in Norway