Hi everyone! After seeing some people do trip reports of some flights they have done, I thought I would do one of my own.
Norwegian Air Shuttle is one of the few airlines that operate flights to an airport above the arctic circle. In this case, that would be Svalbard Airport. This airport serves as the gateway to the Norwegian municipality of Longyearbyen and the Svalbard islands itself which is located just shy of 600 miles to the north of mainland Norway. Svalbard airport actually holds the title of the northernmost commercial airport in the world.
Server: Expert
Airline: Norwegian Air Shuttle
Aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8
Route: Oslo Lufthavn Airport > Svalbard Airport
Estimated flight time: 3 hours
Waiting in line for my turn to board around 8AM, everyone was trying to get on very quickly since it was freezing outside. Thankfully I came prepared, wearing multiple layers of clothing. Once I have boarded, it should be about 50 minutes to an hour before we takeoff.
Taxiing to runway 01L. After sitting down in seat 7F, I noticed that the seats felt rather comfortable yet average compared to other airlines in the same budget range and had a red cloth hanging over the headrests. The cabin is very warm, which I think everybody is thankful for after standing in those grueling low temperatures waiting to board.
Close to a minute after departure from runway 01L, just amazing how these CFM international engines sound. I bet I’m not the only one who thought Oslo was a mountain city like Zurich, yet it’s almost grassland like. It should be about half an hour until we level off at 35,000ft.
Whilst the plane climbed to the cruising altitude, I admired the hundreds of lakes and ponds that went on as far as I could see, as everybody else. This is what I love clear days for.
Cruising quietly over northern Sweden, not very much to see out here except the occasional small city. The flight attendants have started passing out some snacks and beverages, I decided to go with a warm brownie and small cup of coffee.
About 2 hours and 30 minutes into the flight over the Norwegian Sea, the flight attendants have started collecting everyone’s trash and preparing the cabin for landing. Seatbelts were turned on early due to strong winds.
Despite the occasional wind gusts, the descent into Longyearbyen was very calm and exciting. Beautiful islands as you can see, even got to see a couple of glaciers.
A smooth landing onto runway 10. Some of the most beautiful terrain I have ever seen. I have to admit, I have no idea what to do now that I’m here.
After a very short taxi, we are now pulling up to our stand where everybody will deplane and walk themselves to the terminal. Even colder than in Oslo, I am grateful that the terminal is actually just a 1 or so minute walk away from the plane.
Walking to the terminal going to collect my bag from the baggage claim, I can admit that Longyearbyen definitely isn’t the most touristy or luxurious place you can travel to. But if you’re an adventurous person, then I definitely recommend it. Unfortunately for me, I have no plans of revisiting. If you do happen to embark on this trip, please tag me, I would love to see it. Thank you for reading!