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Svalbard is the Norwegian Arctic archipelago located about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
Three large islands dominate the archipelago - the Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen.
The Svalbard Treaty (1920) recognises Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard and the 1925 Svalbard Act makes Svalbard a full part of the Kingdom of Norway.
Coal mining is the main industry on the archipelago. In addition, research and tourism have developed rapidly over the last years.
Svalbard has a major Russian settlement based in the mining town of Barentsburg.
Svalbard in 2005 had a population of approximately 2,400 people, of which about 55% were Norwegians and 45% Russian, Ukrainian and Polish. Over the last years, natives from several other countries have moved to the area to engage in the international research projects.
Boeing to test new airplane on Svalbard
Boeing 787 (Photo 787flighttest.com)
Leo Dejillas
The aircraft producer Boeing plans to test an airplane of the type Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on the Longyear airport on Svalbard.
The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority has permitted the company to use the Arctic airport for landing and take-off tests. Boeing wants to use the Longyear airport as emergency landing field when the planes are put in commercial operation, NRK reports.
The tests will take place in September and will be conducted without passengers.
Boeing 787-8 is a long range, mid-sized, twin-engine jet airliner. It seats 210 to 330 passengers, depending on variant. Boeing states that it is the company's most fuel-efficient airliner and the world's first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction, according to Wikipedia.
