--- iata: VAW name: 'Vardø Airport, Svartnes' city: Vardø country: Norway lastUpdated: '2026-09-04' officialWebsite: 'https://www.avinor.no/en/airport/vardo/' sources: - 'https://www.avinor.no/en/airport/vardo/' - 'https://www.avinor.no/en/airport/vardo/Shopping-and-food/' - 'https://www.avinor.no/en/airport/vardo/parking/' - 'https://www.avinor.no/en/airport/vardo/info/Car-rental/' - >- https://www.avinor.no/en/airport/vardo/about-vardo-airport/Contact-information/ - 'https://www.avinor.no/en/practical-info/wifi/' - 'https://www.avinor.no/en/practical-info/security-check/' - 'https://om.avinor.no/globalassets/passengers-2025.xlsx' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vard%C3%B8_Airport' - 'https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vard%C3%B8_lufthavn,_Svartnes' - 'https://skyvector.com/airport/ENSS/Vardo-Svartnes-Airport' - 'https://ourairports.com/airports/ENSS/' - 'https://entur.no/' - 'https://www.1881.no/?query=Vard%C3%B8+Taxi' quickFacts: - >- Vardø Airport, Svartnes (Norwegian Vardø lufthavn, Svartnes), IATA **VAW** / ICAO **ENSS**, is Norway’s easternmost airport — a fully civilian Avinor regional STOL field on the Varanger mainland at Svartnes, about **4 km** from Vardø town centre via the Vardø Tunnel (English / Norwegian Wikipedia; Avinor visiting address **Vardø Airport, Svartnes, 9955 Vardø**; postal **Avinor, Vardø Airport, Svartnes, P.O. Box 150, 2061 Gardermoen**). Official English hub: avinor.no/en/airport/vardo/. Do not confuse it with Vadsø (**VDS**), Kirkenes (**KKN**), Båtsfjord (**BJF**), or Lakselv Banak (**LKL** — joint civil/military; not this guide’s subject). WWII Luftwaffe origin and later military use are history — today’s published product is an Avinor public airport, not an active airbase guide. - >- Operator: **Avinor**. Official passengers-2025.xlsx roll-up (column S, scheduled + non-scheduled including transfer/transit): **25,397** passengers in **2025** (**+11.1%** YoY). Terminal passengers (column N): **11,005**. Upgraded short-field civilian airport opened **6 April 1987** (Norwegian Wikipedia history). Avinor schema.org on the Norwegian hub publishes IATA **VAW** / ICAO **ENSS** with coordinates about **70.3554°N, 31.0449°E**. - >- One asphalt runway **15/33**. SkyVector’s current card: about **1,146 × 30 m / 3,760 × 98 ft** hard surface with ~**200 ft** displaced thresholds both ways; English / Norwegian Wikipedia (AIP-derived) cite **1,145 × 30 m** with **1,145 m** TORA both directions; OurAirports records about **1,130 × 30 m** with ~**60 m / 45 m** displaced thresholds. Treat it as a ~**1.1 km**-class Avinor short field — declared vs physical lengths and displaced thresholds explain the spread. Field elevation about **13 m / 42 ft** MSL (SkyVector / OurAirports / Wikipedia). Arctic coastal weather on a short strip is first-class schedule risk. - >- No rail at the curb. Entur registers stop **Vardø lufthavn** (**NSR:StopPlace:59262**) at the airport. Road into Vardø centre is about **4 km** through the undersea Vardø Tunnel (English / Norwegian Wikipedia). Taxi is the practical default when Entur shows no useful bus for your bank. Norway’s **1881** directory lists **Vardø Taxi AS** on **+47 41 38 50 27** — confirm live; Avinor does not publish a dedicated VAW taxi page. - >- Security follows classic Avinor/Norwegian cabin liquids: containers in a clear resealable **≤1 L** bag (Avinor security page). Fast Track on that page is an **Oslo**-only product — do not expect OSL-style priority lanes at VAW. Free Wi‑Fi SSID **AIRPORT** (~**4 hours** after captive-portal accept, same Avinor Wi‑Fi product page as other Avinor fields). No passenger lounge is listed on Avinor’s Vardø shopping page. - >- Official shopping directory: Avinor’s Vardø Shopping and food page currently lists **no named café, kiosk, or Tax Free shop** (ItemList `numberOfItems: 0`). Treat airside retail as absent and confirm on the day. Hub airline on Avinor’s airline strip at research time is **Widerøe** only — Finnmark PSO-style links (typically via Vadsø / Kirkenes banks); confirm live. Published terminal hours (contact page): weekdays **08:00–21:30**, **Saturday closed**, Sunday **17:30–21:30**. Avinor’s car-rental page lists **Hertz** (**958 86 161**) and **Sixt** (**+47 909 96 200**). Parking is **free** on site; **OnePark** runs the product (customer service 24/7 on **64 81 19 80**). Widerøe Ground Handling is the published fixed-wing handler (**+47 41 70 65 85**). bentoTips: - label: Timing title: Saturday is closed — and Barents weather owns the clock detail: >- VAW is a one-terminal short-field airport, so walking times inside are short. The schedule risks are (1) Avinor’s published **Saturday closed** window, (2) Sunday’s late-only hours (**17:30–21:30**), and (3) Finnmark / Varanger coastal weather on an asphalt STOL runway charted as **15/33** in the ~**1.1 km** class. Overnight stays inside are not part of the published operating pattern — match arrivals to contact-page hours. summary: >- Tiny terminal; Saturday fully closed, Sunday only 17:30–21:30, and Arctic STOL weather on ~1.1 km 15/33 are the real planning constraints. category: timing - label: Terminal title: One compact Svartnes passenger building — no second terminal myth detail: >- Check-in, security, and the departure hold sit in a single Avinor passenger terminal at **Svartnes, 9955 Vardø**, about **4 km** from town via the Vardø Tunnel (English / Norwegian Wikipedia). There is no multi-pier campus and no airside train. Re-check screens when wind, low cloud, or snow slows the short runway. summary: >- Single passenger terminal; no named airside shop on the current Avinor directory; walking distances are short. category: terminal - label: Food title: No named Avinor shop — eat in Vardø or on the aircraft detail: >- Official Avinor Shopping and food directory for Vardø is empty of named outlets on the research day — no Narvesen, Point, Tax Free, or café title is published. Assume you may find nothing open after security and eat in Vardø town or accept airline catering. Confirm on the day rather than trusting third-party “airport restaurant” blogs. summary: >- Avinor’s shopping page lists no café or kiosk; treat F&B as unreliable and plan town or onboard meals. category: food - label: Status title: No lounge — taxi ~4 km / ~5–10 min into Vardø via the tunnel detail: >- There is no Priority Pass / LoungeKey / walk-up passenger lounge on current Avinor Vardø shopping pages. For town centre (~**4 km** through the Vardø Tunnel), plan a taxi as the practical default — Norway’s 1881 directory lists **Vardø Taxi AS** (**+47 41 38 50 27**); confirm live. Entur stop **Vardø lufthavn** (**NSR:StopPlace:59262**) exists — verify live before you skip the taxi rank. Parking on the Avinor parking page is **free**; OnePark customer service is **64 81 19 80**. There is no rail link. summary: >- Zero lounges; free OnePark parking; taxi is the practical default into Vardø town (~4 km via the tunnel). category: status lounges: [] waterOptions: - kind: free name: Empty-bottle refill after security zone: airside summary: >- Avinor security practice allows empty bottles through screening; refill with potable Norwegian tap water from airside washroom taps once past security. Best hydration plan at a lounge-free airport with no listed kiosk on Avinor’s Vardø shopping page. location: Airside washrooms after security in the single departure hold terminal: Main terminal isBestValue: true isBestQuality: true airportistScore: 5.6 slug: vaw region: Europe --- > Markdown for [/airports/vaw](/airports/vaw). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/vaw) - [Lounge directory](/airports/vaw/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Vardø Airport, Svartnes (VAW) Vardø, Norway · Europe A compact, lounge-free Avinor short-field for Vardø / eastern Varanger — free OnePark parking, taxi-first ground access about 4 km from town via the Vardø Tunnel, Hertz and Sixt on Avinor’s car-rental page, no named airside F&B on Avinor’s directory, Saturday terminal closed, and Arctic coastal weather on a ~1.1 km runway, with Widerøe PSO Dash 8s as the published scheduled airline. ## Airportist Score **5.6 / 10** - Comfort: 5.5 - Navigation: 9.0 - Food: 2.5 - Transport: 7.0 - Disruption resilience: 4.0 ## At a glance - Passengers: 25,397 (2025) - Terminals: 1 passenger terminal - Typical security: 8 min - On-time: 66% - Disruption: minor ## Best for - Vardø / eastern Varanger trips on Widerøe Dash 8 PSO links via Vadsø or Kirkenes - Travelers who want zero terminal complexity and will eat in Vardø town - Self-drive visitors using free on-site parking or pre-booked Hertz / Sixt ## Watch out for - No passenger lounge — Priority Pass / LoungeKey will not help here - Avinor’s shopping page lists no named café or kiosk — do not plan an airside meal - Saturday terminal closed on Avinor’s contact page; Sunday only 17:30–21:30 - ~1.1 km STOL runway (15/33) — Finnmark / Varanger coastal weather regularly delays connections ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/vaw/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/vaw/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/vaw/amenities.md) - [Traveler tips](/airports/vaw/tips.md) - [Water](/airports/vaw/water.md) - [Full guide](/airports/vaw/guide.md) - [Disruptions](/airports/vaw/disruptions.md) - [Reviews](/airports/vaw/reviews.md)