In February 2024, Swedavia’s airports experienced a significant uptick in passenger numbers, reaching almost 2.2 million, marking a 4% increase from the same period last year. International travel fueled this growth, surging by 8%, primarily driven by heightened winter holiday travel, notably from Stockholm Arlanda and Göteborg Landvetter airports, as well as Umeå Airport and Åre Östersund Airport.
Swedavia is gearing up for the summer traffic season, set to begin in late March/early April, anticipating a boost in connectivity with the introduction of approximately 25 new routes, including 10 brand-new destinations. Despite uncertainties related to the economy and global conditions, travel remains a priority for passengers.
Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia’s president and CEO, highlighted the positive trend in winter holiday traffic, particularly at major and regional airports in the north. He noted an 8% increase in international travel compared to February last year, while domestic traffic saw a decline, though at a slower rate than the previous month.
As part of the upcoming summer traffic programs, airlines will introduce nearly 14 new routes from Stockholm Arlanda and eight new routes from Gothenburg, contributing to around ten new destinations. Notable additions include SAS’s routes between Arlanda-Seville and Arlanda-Kalamata, Norwegian’s routes between Arlanda-Bari and Landvetter-Dubrovnik, Transavia FR’s route between Arlanda-Marseille, and Ryanair’s route between Landvetter-Sarajevo.
Connectivity to North America will be strengthened with almost 30 departures per week from Stockholm Arlanda, including routes operated by Air Canada, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines to Toronto, Montreal, and New York.
In February, nearly 2.2 million passengers travelled through Swedavia’s airports, representing a 4% increase from February 2023. While international travel rose by 8% to over 1.5 million passengers, domestic travel declined by 6% to just over 600,000 passengers. Overall, passenger traffic reached about 77% of pre-pandemic levels in February 2019.
Stockholm Arlanda Airport witnessed an impressive 7% increase, serving close to 1.5 million passengers, with international travel up by 11%. Göteborg Landvetter Airport reported a 7% rise, serving nearly 330,000 passengers, driven by a 9% increase in international travel.
The performance of Swedavia’s other airports varied, with Kiruna Airport leading in both growth and passenger numbers compared to pre-pandemic levels, followed by Ronneby Airport, Åre Östersund, and Umeå Airport. Malmö Airport, Bromma Stockholm Airport, and Luleå Airport had comparatively weaker growth in February.
