Ny-Ålesund will celebrate 100 years since the Norge flight

Kings Bay (the state-owned company that runs Ny-Ålesund) said the 100-year anniversary of the historic Norge expedition will be celebrated in Ny-Ålesund from 8 to 12 May 2026, marking one of the greatest milestones in Arctic exploration history and an important part of Ny-Ålesund's own legacy as an international gateway for Arctic science, exploration and innovation. Through commemorative events in the settlement where the expedition began, the anniversary will honour both the pioneering achievements of the explorers and the unique role Ny-Ålesund and Kings Bay played in enabling one of the most ambitious polar expeditions ever undertaken.

On 11 May 1926, the airship Norge, led by Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth and Umberto Nobile, lifted off from Ny-Ålesund and began its historic transpolar flight across the Arctic Ocean. In the early hours of 12 May, the expedition passed over the North Pole before continuing toward Alaska, where Norge landed near Teller on 14 May 1926. The flight became the first verified expedition to cross the Arctic by air from Europe to North America.

Ny-Ålesund and Kings Bay played a crucial role in making the expedition possible. At the time, the settlement was an active mining community operated by Kings Bay Kull Compani, providing the infrastructure, logistics, manpower and Arctic base needed for the expedition. A dedicated airship mast and hangar were constructed in Ny-Ålesund before the flight, and the historic mooring mast still stands in Ny-Ålesund today as a monument to this pioneering chapter of Arctic aviation and exploration history.

Kings Bay presents the programme for 8 and 9 May 2026.

The royal couple visiting Ny-Ålesund in 1995 in connection with the 70-year anniversary. Photo: Rune Petter Ness