Gambell Airport
Airport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gambell Airport (IATA: GAM, ICAO: PAGM, FAA LID: GAM) is a public airport located in Gambell, a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by the state.[1]
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″N 171°43′58″W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  GAM Location of airport in Alaska | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||||
Facilities
Airlines and destinations
As of March 2026, 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): About 50 minutes flight time.
Savoonga (SVA): About 15 minutes flight time.
These routes are currently the only scheduled passenger services available at Gambell Airport.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Bering Air | Nome, Savoonga[2] |
History
Gambell Airport was used as a transport base during World War II as Gambell Army Airfield, facilitating the transit of Lend-Lease aircraft to the Soviet Union. It was also used by the USAAF as an emergency landing field for aircraft patrolling the west coast of Alaska.
On 27 February 1974, a Soviet Union An-24LR carrying a crew of three and ten scientists on an ice-reconnaissance mission landed at Gambell due to fuel exhaustion in bad weather, causing a minor Cold War incident. Villagers, mostly Yupik Native Americans, provided space heaters and food. A U.S. Air Force C-130 flew in a load of fuel bladders with JP-1 fuel from Anchorage 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, a Fairchild 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, and below approach minimums.[4]
