Avanavero Airstrip

IATA: none – ICAO: SMVO

Summary

Airport type

Public

Operator

Luchtvaartdienst Suriname

Location

Avanavero, Suriname

Map

SMVO

Location in Suriname

Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
			grass

Avanavero Airstrip (ICAO: SMVO), near Avanavero, Suriname. It was one of the airstrips constructed in the aftermath of Operation Grasshopper.

Facilities

The Avanavero Airstrip has one long unpaved runway. It is built near the Avanavero Falls, locally called Avanavero Vallen or Avanavero Sula.

Currently, no scheduled services are offered from Kabalebo. Charter Airlines serving this airport are:

Airlines	Destinations
Blue Wing Airlines	Paramaribo, Zorg en Hoop Airport^[1]
Caricom Airways	Paramaribo, Zorg en Hoop Airport^[2]
Gum Air	Paramaribo, Zorg en Hoop Airport^[3]
Hi-Jet Helicopter Services	Paramaribo, Zorg en Hoop Airport^[4]^[5]
Suriname Air Force / Surinaamse Luchtmacht	Paramaribo, Zorg en Hoop Airport

On 8 May 1967 a helicopter Agusta-Bell 47J-2A, with Dutch registration PH-VAS made an emergency landing. The helicopter from General Aviation at Rotterdam Airport, the Netherlands was flying from its base Avanavero (SMVO), Suriname under contract for SLM used on a Hydro Electric Power Project for "Bureau Waterkracht Werken". At take off from Avanavero Airfield (SMVO) on an oil supply flight the wind blew the main rotor from PH-VAS into a wooden flag-pole, forcing the Dutch pilot Mr. P.H. Janssen to make an emergency running landing. Fortunately the damage was small and no injuries occurred.^[6]^[7]