 The airport was largely used to fly to Longyearbyen , although a limited number of flights were undertaken to the mainland . In addition to magnetic tapes , the aircraft were used to transport personnel and cargo , particularly during winter . Services were originally operated by Ski- og Sjøfly , but were later taken over by Svalbard @-@ Fly , both of which had their Cessna 185 aircraft stationed in Ny @-@ Ålesund . On 3 June 1970 , a miner with a fractured skull was transported by ship from Longyearbyen to Ny @-@ Ålesund and sent on board a Piper PA @-@ 31 Navajo to the mainland for treatment . After the telemetry station closed in 1974 , the airport was taken over by Kings Bay . During this period , Longyearbyen was served by a planed section of tundra in Adventdalen . 
