Visby 1 highway strip

57°41'01"N 018°27'18"E

Runway: 16/34 - 2000meters/0000feet - asphalt

Visby 1 highway strip was a dispersed emergency (wartime) airfield in country on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
The airfield was built during the BAS-60 upgrade of Visby Airport in 1968. It consisted of a 2 kilometer stretch of straight and widened road northeast of Visby airfield. It also featured 3 aircraft parkings: one on the south side, and two in a bend on the north side.
Visby and its highway strips were adapted for use by J37 Viggens in the mid 1970s. The Swedish defence stance during the Cold War required all highway strips to be used on a regular basis. 

Visby was upgraded to BAS-90 airfield in 1992. Two years later the F13 Wing from Bråvalla ended its presence at Visby. The Visby Highway strips were withdrawn from use after 1996, although it was still used during an exercise in September that year.
They are still present however, ready to be reactivated should the need arise.


A video by Gotlands Försvarsmuseum showing an active airstrip in September 1996


Visby 1 Highway strip in 2006 (Google Earth)


Visby 1 Highway photographed on 28 Jul 2008 (Photo: Magnus Emanuelsson - via e-mail)

Many thanks to Per Jelkne for pointing out this airfield!