Hammerfest Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Hammerfest Airport
nativename =
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IATA = HFT
ICAO = ENHF
type = Public
owner =
operator = Avinor
city-served = Hammerfest
location = Hammerfest
elevation-f = 799
elevation-m = 78.9
coordinates = Coord|70|40|47|N|23|40|08|E|type:airport|display=inline,title
website =
metric-elev =
metric-rwy =
r1-number = 05/23
r1-length-f = 2625
r1-length-m = 800
r1-surface = Asphalt
stat-year =
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Hammerfest Airport airport codes|HFT|ENHF (Norwegian: Hammerfest lufthavn) is an airport serving the town of Hammerfest in Finnmark, Norway. The airport is located north of the town centre. The airport was opened on July 30 1974 as part of a series of regional airports in northern Norway. It is operated by Avinor. In 2007 the airport served 148,541 passengers [ [http://www.avinor.no/avinor/trafikk/10_Trafikkstatistikk Avinor traffic stats.] ] , making HFT the third largest airport in Finnmark. Traffic still increases with an average 8.6 % over April 2007 (domestic flights: 10.1 %, international flights: 5.9 %), compared to an average 5.6 % movements increase during the same period (domestic: 6.7 %, international: 2.6 %).

The airport is served by Widerøe who operates flights, with stops, to Alta and Tromsø which have connections onwards to Southern Norway. Widerøe operates Dash-8-100 aircraft from Hammerfest. The helicopter company Norsk Helikopter also operates flights to offshore installations.

Accidents and incidents

On May 1 2005, the Widerøe Dash 8-100 airplane LN-WIK was buffeted by strong winds upon landing, and the landing gear on the right wing collapsed. While several passengers sustained injuries, there were no fatalities in the incident, but the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority imposed the strictest wind regulations in Norway upon the airport [ [http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=275857 Strictest wind regulations in the country at Hammerfest Airport] (in Norwegian)] .

New airport

Because of the windy location, and the wind restrictions, the airport is often closed entire days. The driving distance to the main destination, Tromsø, is about 540 km, needing around 8-9 hours. Therefore there are plans of a new airport at Grøtnes, about 20 km south of Hammerfest. This location has better wind conditions, and the airport is planned for around 1200 m runway, allowing larger propeller planes. The expected cost, at least 800 MNOK, won't be financed by the government, nor can it be financed by local administrations. There are hopes for private support (PPP).

Destinations

* Norsk Helikopter: (Offshore installations)
* Widerøe (Alta, Berlevåg, Båtsfjord, Hasvik, Honningsvåg, Kirkenes, Mehamn, Tromsø, Vadsø, Vardø)

References

External links

* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20050501-0&lang=en Aviation safety.net entry on the 2005 incident]
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