Alta Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Alta Airport
nativename = Alta lufthavn
nativename-r =


image-width = 104


IATA = ALF
ICAO = ENAT
type = Public
operator = Avinor
city-served = Alta
location = Alta
elevation-f = 9
elevation-m = 3
coordinates = coord|69|58|34|N|023|22|18|E|type:airport
website = [http://www.avinor.no/English/?module=Articles;action=Article.publicOpen;ID=1215 Official Website]
r1-number = 11/29
r1-length-f = 6,850
r1-length-m = 2,088
r1-surface = Asphalt
stat-year = 2006
stat1-header = Passengers
stat1-data = 416,272
stat2-header = Air movements
stat2-data = 11,949
stat3-header = Cargo (tonnes)
stat3-data = 90.04
footnotes =

Alta Airport (Airport codes|ALF|ENAT, Norwegian: Alta lufthavn) is the airport of Alta, Norway. It is located about 6 km northeast of Alta centre, near the community Elvebakken on the south shore of the Alta Fjord.

The airport served 416,272 passengers in 2006, an increase from 351,537 in 2005. This makes Alta Airport the most heavily trafficked airport in Finnmark. The airport has a single paved 2088 m long runway. Ground transport is handled by bus and taxi. The government owned Avinor is responsible for operations. The airport works as a semi-hub for operations in the SAS Group with many connections to regional airports in Finnmark as well as jet operations to Oslo.

There are plans for construction of a new airport terminal. In the current layout the planes park too close to the runway according to the newer safety regulations. The current authorization expires in 2008, and construction may start in 2007.

History

The airport was opened May 3, 1963, at the same time as Banak Airport in Lakselv and Høybuktmoen Airport in Kirkenes. For many years the only airline to serve Alta was Scandinavian Airlines, who operated routes to Tromsø and Oslo. Originally the airplanes serving Alta were Convair CV-440 Metropolitan propellor planes, while Douglas DC-9 jet aircraft were introduced in 1969 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft in 1986.

When the new regional STOL routes in Finnmark were opened in 1974, Alta got serviced by Widerøe's Twin Otter aircraft. In 1990 Scandinavian changed their operation prosedures in Finnmark, making Alta a hub with flights from other towns into Alta and flights to Oslo by jet aircraft. The spike routes were operated with 50 seat Fokker 50 aircraft by SAS Commuter.

In 2002, after Scandinavian acquired Braathens, Braathens took over Scandinavians routes.The two airlines were merged in 2005. In 2003 Widerøe took over SAS Commuters routes from Alta. Recently Norwegian Air Shuttle has also started low-cost operations to its hub at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.

Airlines and destinations

*Norwegian Air Shuttle (Oslo)
*Scandinavian Airlines (Oslo, Tromsø)
*Widerøe (Hammerfest, Lakselv, Tromsø, Vadsø, Kirkenes)

External links

* [http://www.avinor.no/en/airport/alta Alta Airport entry on Avinor's website]
* [http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?id=NO64260 World Aero Data entry on Alta airport]