Harbour authorities and air-traffic controllers in the town of Akureyri, Northern Iceland, must cooperate to ensure travellers by air and sea do not end on a collision course. As the harbour lines directly north of the airstrip, the largest cruise ships can reach high enough to block the flightpath of landing or departing planes.
The number of cruise ships arriving in Akureyri has risen steadily in the past years. This year 48 ships arrived in Akureyri, with 80,000 passengers. The largest ships take thousands of passengers and reach more than 35 meters (115 feet) from the ocean. The tallest ship this summer was MSC Splendida which reaches 66 meters (217 feet) from the ocean.
Hjördís Þórhallsdóttir, the manager of the Akureyri airport, told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, that the airport and the harbour cooperate closely to eliminate any danger to air traffic. She stresses that there is no danger, and that flightpaths do not need to be changed due to ships in the harbour, since it is enough for flight controllers to be aware of the presence of ships.
Harbour authorities and air-traffic controllers in the town of Akureyri, Northern Iceland, must cooperate to ensure travellers by air and sea do not end on a collision course. As the harbour lines directly north of the airstrip, the largest cruise ships can reach high enough to block the flightpath of landing or departing planes.
The number of cruise ships arriving in Akureyri has risen steadily in the past years. This year 48 ships arrived in Akureyri, with 80,000 passengers. The largest ships take thousands of passengers and reach more than 35 meters (115 feet) from the ocean. The tallest ship this summer was MSC Splendida which reaches 66 meters (217 feet) from the ocean.
Hjördís Þórhallsdóttir, the manager of the Akureyri airport, told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, that the airport and the harbour cooperate closely to eliminate any danger to air traffic. She stresses that there is no danger, and that flightpaths do not need to be changed due to ships in the harbour, since it is enough for flight controllers to be aware of the presence of ships.
