Superjet 100 delivers passengers to the world’s northernmost airport

A youth ski expedition team were the first passengers delivered to Spitsbergen on board of SSJ100 (www.facebook.com/kikimoravcity)

Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) has made its first flight to the world’s northernmost airport. On April 18 an aircraft with tail number RA- 89066 owned by Russia’s EMERCOM delivered a team of a youth ski expedition to Svalbard Airport on Spitsbergen island.

The Russian ministry reported that there was a group of 19 people on board, who proceeded to the Russian Arctic station called Barneo. On April 19 the SSJ100 returned to Moscow. 

The commercial flight to Spitsbergen became possible after the approval of an extension for the SSJ100’s type certificate for flights in Arctic latitudes up to 72.25 degrees north. The aircraft’s producer Sukhoi Civil Aircraft conducted a test flight on the aircraft to Svalbard in March. The OEM’s engineers tested the functioning of the aircraft’s inertial systems, which approach the limits set by their producers, when operated this far north.

Svalbard is the world’s northernmost commercial airport, which handles regular passenger flights. SAS and Norwegian operate regular flights to this destination from Oslo and Tromso on Boeing 737.