Aviation in Svalbard Part 2

While Part 1 of this account attempted to provide an overview of the pioneering events that secured Svalbard a place in aviation history, the challenges which confront present operators in the area are still significant.

The geographical and physical demands that are placed on machines and their operators, devoid of the normal support services found in more developed areas as a result of lack of demand and consequently funding, provide a continuation of much of the pioneering spirit of the past.

Coal mining continued to be the only significant industry in Svalbard after flying boats and airships had departed the scene in the 1930s and seaborne traffic sufficed to provide transport for both goods and personnel.

During WWII German Troops occupied Longyearbyen and visited the other small inhabited sites in Svalbard, destroying anything they believed significant. Nevertheless no strategic use seems have been found for the area and maritime deliveries of coal continued to the (occupied) Norwegian mainland.

The photograph below was found at the small museum in Longyearbyen.

The post-war aviation “boom” seemed to avoid Svalbard and it was not until the late 1950s that the area experienced tentative steps to exploit the advantages that aerial transportation could provide.