newstodate.aero
May 5, 2006 (newstodate): From this autumn, SAS Braathens will add more capacity to its service to Svalbard.
The carrier is the only scheduled airline on the route, and plans are to replace the current Boeing 737-400 with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft offering 29 more seats, and potentials for more belly cargo space as well.
-The bulk of cargo destined for Svalbard is transported by sea on a weekly service, and this suffices for most of the provisions to the islands. But there is still a need for air cargo in case of time-sensitive or special shipments, and capacity is therefore often a scarce resource, says Ole M. Rambech, Svalbard Airport manager.
-In a few cases we have seen ad-hoc freigther flights, but as the traffic is almost exclusively on the import side there is hardly any viable business case for a regular freighter service even if there would certainly be a need for it, seen from Svalbard.
In 2005, Svalbard imported a total of 581 tonnes of cargo, down 0.5 percent, and 386 tonnes of mail, up 0.8 percent.
The carrier is the only scheduled airline on the route, and plans are to replace the current Boeing 737-400 with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft offering 29 more seats, and potentials for more belly cargo space as well.
-The bulk of cargo destined for Svalbard is transported by sea on a weekly service, and this suffices for most of the provisions to the islands. But there is still a need for air cargo in case of time-sensitive or special shipments, and capacity is therefore often a scarce resource, says Ole M. Rambech, Svalbard Airport manager.
-In a few cases we have seen ad-hoc freigther flights, but as the traffic is almost exclusively on the import side there is hardly any viable business case for a regular freighter service even if there would certainly be a need for it, seen from Svalbard.
In 2005, Svalbard imported a total of 581 tonnes of cargo, down 0.5 percent, and 386 tonnes of mail, up 0.8 percent.