the airport was taken over by Kings Bay. During this period, Longyearbyen was served by a planed section of tundra in Adventdalen. Svalbard Airport, Longyear, opened in 1975, allowing better facilities and connection with scheduled flights to the mainland. At the same time, Lufttransport established itself at Svalbard Airport. During the summer of 1975, the Norwegian Polar Institute stationed two helicopters at Ny-Ålesund Airport to support their expeditions. During the late 1970s there was little winter activity in Ny-Ålesund, but the air strip was kept operational for the few groups of researchers who did visit. A radio line repeater was installed at Kongsvegpasset in 1980, resulting in Ny-Ålesund receiving a telephone connection. A radio beacon was subsequently installed at the airport. During the 1980s, the services were gradually taken over by Lufttransport, who used both small aircraft and helicopters. These gradually became more regular and became de facto scheduled services every fortnight. Lufttransport replaced the helicopter service with a two-engine five-seat aircraft in 1989, which cut the cost of transport significantly. In 1993, Widerøe established itself at Svalbard Airport and flew services to Ny-Ålesund, but this only lasted the one season. In 1996, Lufttransport and Kings Bay made an agreement that the airline would fly once per week during the winter and up to five times per week during the summer. The airline would use a Dornier 228, which was also used for flights from Longyearbyen to Svea Airport for Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani. Facilities Ny-Ålesund Airport, Hamnerabben, is located at Hamnerabben, west of the main settlement of Ny-Ålesund. It consists of a single long and wide gravel runway. It is located at elevation and aligned 12/30. The airport has a single apron. The airport has aerodrome flight information service but lacks terminal and hangar facilities. Airlines and destinations The only airline to provide service to and from Hamnerabben is Lufttransport, which operates 16-seat Dornier 228 aircraft to Svalbard Airport, Longyear. The airline provides two flights per week during the winter and four flights per week during the summer. All departures are charter flights organized by Kings Bay and tickets are only available through the company. Occasional ad hoc charter flights are also sometimes operated. At Longyearbyen, connections are provided onwards to Tromsø Airport and Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. References Bibliography Notes External links Airports in Svalbard Ny-Ålesund 1967 establishments in Norway Airports established in 1967