Salangen Airport, Elvenes (; ) is a general aviation airport located at Elvenes in Salangen Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It features a grass runway measuring . It also has a water airport located on Øvrevann. The municipal airport is solely used for air sports.
The first use of the area as an airstrip was by the Norwegian Army Air Service in 1915. A permanent structure was established in 1919 and remained the sole land airport of the Air Service in Northern Norway until it was supplemented by Bardufoss Air Station in 1938. Elvenes was mostly used for aerial support of Norwegian Army exercises. The airfield was upgraded in May 1940 as part of the Norwegian Campaign under the auspice of the Royal Air Force. It was surrendered to Luftwaffe, who used it sparingly as a reserve for Bardufoss. The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) took possession in 1945 and used it mostly for Army exercise support. Since 2001 there has been regular civilian use and the municipality bought the facility in 2006.
History
Army Air Service
Elvenes was first used during a 6,000-man exercise in August 1915. The newly established Army Air Service wanted to test out its Blériot XI, a task given to Tryggve Gran. His first job was to find a suitable landing field near Setermoen, the center of the exercise. This took place at Elvevold. Their task during the exercise was to fly reconnaissance, mark the enemy by dropping smoke bombs and taking aerial photography.
During the period Gran was stationed, he identified Elvenes, about away from Elvevold, as a suitable site for a permanent airfield. A year later, with the increased threat of Norway being brought into the First World War, the Ministry of Defence proposed establishing an army base at Elvenes. A lot was bought for the purpose. In addition to the airfield, the base was to consist of an arsenal and a commissariat.
The Army Air Service inspected the site on 26 August 1918 and found it to be suitable for both land and sea planes. Although they did not at the time operate any seaplanes, they wanted to ensure that facilities were built in such a manner that this option would remain possible. A field was found suitable to be used for a runway and the only initial permanent structure was a hangar, measuring and tall. The structure was completed on 10 December.
Elvenes had been proposed as a site for a Northern Norwegian squadron of aircraft and was initially thought to host two flights each of five aircraft. However, the airfield would only serve as a base for one aircraft. A Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was flown to Elvenes in March 1919 and remained there until 1924. It was used during army exercises at Elvenes. Work on the rest of the base continued until 1923, by which time fourteen building with a combined had been built.
The first use of the B.E.2 took place during an exercise from 25 March to 5 April, during which it operated with skis. The next use was during the summer and fall of 1920, when wheels were equipped. The staff consisted of two lieutenants, three sergeants and four privates. The aircraft continued to be used the following years for exercises. A Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 seaplane was used during the exercises in 1924. This used the lake of Øvrevann as a runway. This proved marginally too short and the aircraft could only operate with limited payload. The W.29 was flown back for the winter, but the following summer a new W.29 was flown to Elvenes, and it remained there for the winter. The B.E.2 was retired after the 1924 season.
From 1 January 1928 the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service took over its army counterpart's operations in Northern Norway. Plans for a further expansion of Salangen Airport was therefore terminated and the aerodrome was mothballed. Interest resumed in the early 1930s, when Elvenes was identified as a potential site for mobilization airfield. Five Fokker C.V-Ds were flown to Elvenes on 22 March 1935. They stayed a few days before continuing northwards, and then stayed on the return flight. However, Bardufoss Air Station was chosen as the land air station for Northern Norway, with construction commencing on 8 April.
Second World War
Interest for Elvenes resumed in 1938, after the first parts of Bardufoss Air Station were completed. Elvenes was on 8 April approved as a reserve airfield, with forest clearing starting imminently. Work on the runway commenced in 1939. The runway was upgraded and expanded to measure . This was carried out as relief work. By the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, the base remained fully operational and was fully stocked.