Gambell Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region | ||||||||||
| Serves | Gambell, Alaska | ||||||||||
| Built | 1943 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 27 ft / 8 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 63°46′00″N171°43′58″W / 63.76667°N 171.73278°W /63.76667; -171.73278 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  GAM Location of airport in Alaska | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||||
Gambell Airport (IATA:GAM,ICAO:PAGM,FAALID:GAM) is a publicairport located inGambell, a city in theNome Census Area of theU.S. state ofAlaska. The airport is owned by the state.[1]
Gambell Airport covers an area of 200 acres (81 ha) which contains oneasphalt andconcrete pavedrunway (16/34) measuring 4,500 x 96 ft (1,372 x 29 m).[1]
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2022) |
As of February 2025, Gambell Airport (IATA: GAM), located on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska, is served by Bering Air, which operates flights to the following destinations:
Nome (OME): Approximately 50 minutes flight time.
Savoonga (SVA): Approximately 15 minutes flight time.
These routes are currently the only scheduled passenger services available at Gambell Airport.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Bering Air | Nome,Savoonga[2] |
Gambell Airport was used as a transport base duringWorld War II asGambell Army Airfield, facilitating the transit ofLend-Lease aircraft to theSoviet Union. It was also used by theUSAAF as an emergency landing field for aircraft patrolling the west coast of Alaska.
On 27 February 1974, aSoviet UnionAn-24LR carrying a crew of three and ten scientists on an ice-reconnaissance mission landed at Gambell due tofuel exhaustion in bad weather, causing a minorCold War incident. Villagers, mostlyYupik Native Americans, provided space heaters and food. A U.S. Air ForceC-130 flew in a load of fuel bladders withJP-1 fuel fromAnchorage to refuel the An-24, which departed at 7:30 pm. She dipped her wings in salute in a pass over the airfield, then returned to Soviet airspace.[3]
On 30 August 1975,Wien Air Alaska Flight 99, aFairchild F-27B on approach to landing, crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain after multiple missed approaches, killing the pilot and co-pilot and eight others out of the 32 crew and passengers on board. The weather was a low ceiling with sea fog, andbelow approach minimums.[4]
