Skavsta Airport has temporarily closed its air traffic control tower after asbestos was discovered in the building’s ceiling during planned maintenance work. Test results confirming the presence of asbestos were received on Wednesday, prompting an immediate shutdown of the tower in coordination with air traffic control.
As a result, no aircraft can currently land or take off at Skavsta, and flights are being diverted to other airports. Commercial operations are expected to be disrupted until at least Friday lunchtime.
The closure also affects Skavsta’s role as an emergency diversion airport.
“At the moment, we cannot carry out the emergency mission,” said Skavsta Airport CEO Brett Weihart. However, Coast Guard operations can continue without the control tower.
Cleanup and remediation work began Thursday morning. Airport management hopes the air traffic control tower can reopen around 1:00 p.m. on Friday, subject to safety clearance.