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| Shifting soil makes for surreal flying Svalbard Airport among world's 18 strangest, magazine says, despite unremarkable facilities
Travelers can't play golf between the runways and there's no danger of high tide washing planes off a sand runway into the sea. But it seems flying into Svalbard is just as weird. Svalbard Airport is one of "The World's 18 Strangest Airports," according to the current issue of Popular Mechanics. While other airports on the list are distinct for runways on steep slopes in the Alps and intersecting with major city streets, Svalbard's is notorious for its northern latitude and shifting soil. "I never thought it was very strange," said Ole Rambech, the airport's manager. "This is a standard airport built to international standards." The magazine examines the airports from an engineering standpoint, so jets flying a few feet above oceanside sunbathers counts for more than cattle roaming the terminal. But geographical novelty such as extreme altitudes and latitudes also merit attention. "While there are three airports within the archipelago, two of which are used mainly to transport miners, Svalbard Airport is open to commercial travel, making it the world's northernmost airport that tourists can book tickets to," the magazine states. Other airports on the list face challenges such as runways on steep slopes in the Alps and landing planes on strips the length of a cruise ship. Svalbard's handicap is the permafrost, making the runway an unsettling experience "Engineers used the region's brutally cold climate to their favor during construction and built the runway on a layer of permafrost," the magazine notes. "The airport was completed in 1975, but slight seasonal changes caused sections of the runway to become uneven, forcing the need to repave the runway on several occasions. "A project was launched in 1989 aimed at insulating troublesome sections of the runway from the ground, which proved relatively successful. However, a 2002 study indicates that rising temperatures in the area may increase the need and frequency of maintenance efforts and repaving."
Bad as that sounds, it's far from the worst threat an airport is facing due to global warming. A few on the magazine's list face the risk of vanishing entirely because they are on sand beaches or manmade islands that will be submerged by rising waters (some already have to plan flights around tidal charts). Other cold-weather winners include the ice runways of Antarctica and the 3.5-mile runway needed for the high attitude at Qamdo Bangda Airport in Tibet. Among the more unusual designs are Gibraltar Airport, where motor traffic on a major street is halted for planes crossing on the runway; Don Mueang International Airport in Thailand, where two runways were built around an 18-hole golf course; and Courchevel International Airportin France, where the mountainside runway has up to an 18.5-degree grade. Rambech said he's never heard Svalbard's airport referred to as strange before and didn't know it was being eyed by the magazine. "They didn't contact me, so it was a surprise," he said. Published in the Feb. 23, 2010, print edition. |
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