A total of 2,248,748 passengers travelled to, from or via Avinor’s airports in February 2022. This represents an increase of 207% compared with the same month in 2021, but is still 42% lower than in 2019, the last normal year. International travel, especially charter travel, is increasing the most, while “offshore” is declining.
During the same period last year, traffic was very low due to the restrictions in Norway and the world. The easing of restrictions as we entered 2022 has once again made travel at home and abroad possible to a much greater extent than in the last two years.
“We can clearly see that in our passenger figures, and we are pleased that activity is picking up well with the knock-on effect it has on all workplaces associated with Avinor’s airports and the travel industry in Norway as a whole,” says Gaute Skallerud Riise, Vice President Traffic Development at Avinor.
Good news for the travel industry
The travel industry in Norway is delighted that air traffic is returning and believes it’s good news for jobs and value creation.
“It’s very gratifying to see that travellers are on their way back to Oslo Airport. Like many other Norwegian destinations, Oslo relies on visitors from far and wide. They mean a tremendous amount to us in the travel industry and the many thousands of jobs associated with it. The fact that we are now seeing light at the end of the tunnel, after two very demanding years of pandemic, is motivating and positive,” says Christian Lunde, CEO of VisitOSLO.
Bergen is also delighted that traffic is now on the way back.
“We are delighted that air traffic at Bergen Airport is picking up again. Tourism in Western Norway is completely dependent on good accessibility by air, and we can really see that it’s become attractive to Norwegians and foreigners to visit the Bergen region again,” says Anders Nyland, Director of Tourism at Visit Bergen.
Traffic figures for the four largest airports in February break down as follows (compared with 2021)*
Oslo Airport
• Domestic: 203.3% more passengers – a total of 523,386
• International: 1,043.4% more passengers – a total of 519,017
• Commercial air transport movements: 112.1% – a total of 11,013
Bergen Airport
• Domestic: 111.4% more passengers – a total of 223,064
• International: 1,231.3% more passengers – a total of 75,856
• Commercial air transport movements: 31.8% – a total of 6,101
Stavanger Airport
• Domestic: 1,254% more passengers – a total of 110,644
• International: 1,444,4% more passengers – a total of 46,378
• Commercial air transport movements: 23.1% – a total of 3,700
Trondheim Airport
• Domestic: 155.9% more passengers – a total of 167,575
• International: 4,431.6% more passengers – a total of 25,105
• Commercial air transport movements: 53.9% – a total of 3,329
*Commercial air transport movements include scheduled, charter and cargo flights, as well as offshore helicopters.
