Vardø Airport

Vardø Airport, Svartnes Vardø Lufthavn, Svartnes
Vardø Airport terminal
IATA: VAW ICAO: ENSS
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Avinor
Serves	Vardø, Norway
Location	Svartnes, Vardø
Elevation AMSL	13 m / 42 ft
Coordinates	70°21′19″N 031°02′42″E / 70.35528°N 31.04500°E / 70.35528; 31.04500Coordinates: 70°21′19″N 031°02′42″E / 70.35528°N 31.04500°E / 70.35528; 31.04500
Website	Official website
Map
VAW Location in Norway
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 15/33 1,145 3,757 Asphalt
Statistics (2014)
Passengers 13,889 Aircraft movements 2,518 Cargo (tonnes) 0.7
Source:

Vardø Airport, Svartnes (Norwegian: Vardø Lufthavn, Svartnes; IATA: VAW, ICAO: ENSS) is a short take-off and landing airport located at Svartnes in Vardø Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. Owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, it served 14,664 passengers in 2012. The airport has a 1,145-by-30-meter (3,757 by 98 ft) runway aligned 15–33. It is served by Widerøe who operate Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft to Kirkenes and other communities in Finnmark. The airport is located 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) from Vardøya and the town center of Vardø.

Svartnes was built by the German Luftwaffe 1943, where it served fighter aircraft to protect German convoys. The airport was abandoned in 1944 but reopened by the Norwegian Armed Forces for military passenger flights. Plans to start civilian operates were launched in the 1960s and from 1970 Norving started irregular flights to the airport. An upgrade to the terminal and runway were carried out between 1984 and 1990. Widerøe took over flights in 1991.

Svartnes was constructed by the Luftwaffe during the German occupation of Norway during World War II. The background for the establishment was Soviet attacks on supply convoys operating to Kirkenes. During construction, on 12 July 1943, eight Soviet Ilyushin Il-2s attacked Svartnes, but all were shot down. While the war remained in the area Soviet air attacks continued on the air base. The airport was completed in the fall of 1943, it was exclusively used for fighter aircraft detachments of Jagdgeschwader 5. These were used as part of the defense of German ship traffic around Varangerhalvøya. The original wooden runway was 1,000 by 90 meters (3,280 by 300 ft). The Wehrmacht operated a prisoner of war camp at the military base. The air base fell into disuse following the German evacuation in 1944.