newstodate.aero
Oct 04, 2017 (newstodate): Finnair had planned to become the world's first international carrier to launch scheduled traffic into Svalbard in the Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.
Plans were to offer three weekly flights during the summer season already starting from 2016.
The plans were, however, long under way - and are now to be finally scrapped as Norways Ministry of Transport and Communication has decided to downgrade Svalbard Airport from international to national status.
The decision is already in effect from October 1, 2017, but charter flights may still be offered to Svalbard on an ad-hoc basis requiring individual permits.
In fact, only Russian carrier may now operate scheduled services into Svalbard Airport as a result of the a separate agreement from 1974 regarding the joint use of Svalbard Airport serving also the Russian settlement of Barentsburg.
Svalbard Airport has one 2,483m asphalt runway .
Plans were to offer three weekly flights during the summer season already starting from 2016.
The plans were, however, long under way - and are now to be finally scrapped as Norways Ministry of Transport and Communication has decided to downgrade Svalbard Airport from international to national status.
The decision is already in effect from October 1, 2017, but charter flights may still be offered to Svalbard on an ad-hoc basis requiring individual permits.
In fact, only Russian carrier may now operate scheduled services into Svalbard Airport as a result of the a separate agreement from 1974 regarding the joint use of Svalbard Airport serving also the Russian settlement of Barentsburg.
Svalbard Airport has one 2,483m asphalt runway .