Norwegian airport operator Avinor has revealed that a total of 4,201,183 passengers travelled to, from or via its airports in July 2022. This is an increase of 78% over the same month last year.
The operator says that in July, 2,221,754 passengers travelled abroad, which was an increase of 369% over July 2021 when the passenger number total was 473,422.
1,935,499 passengers travelled domestically, an increase of 5% from 1,847,844 in July 2021.
“We have seen a steady increase in air traffic through 2021 and 2022. This is not surprising, as we are slowly but surely getting out of the pandemic. Nevertheless, the figures for July were significantly influenced by the SAS strike, as many passengers could not complete their travels due to cancelled flights. At Oslo Airport, this represented about 20% of the travellers we had expected in advance,” explained Gaute Skallerud Riise, Vice President Traffic Development at Avinor.
Svalbard Airport saw an increase of 168% in passenger numbers compared to the same month last year, Avinor says. “The big increase is due to the number of charter flights to and from Svalbard Airport. Compared to 2019, we have doubled the number of charter flights. There has been a huge increase in interest in Arctic conditions, and as a result, many people want to fly to Svalbard,” explains Airport Manager Hans Jørgen Bugge.
Oslo Airport is also experiencing the biggest increase in passenger numbers in the first six months of 2022 with 12,043,014 passengers, this represents an increase of 310% compared to the first half of 2021. “These are very pleasant numbers and I am glad that traffic has picked up. The fact that traffic is on the way back and that so many people choose to fly is important for the Norwegian visitor industry, business and tourism. Aviation creates a lot of jobs and great value for the business sector,” said Airport Director Stine Ramstad Westby.
“We have worked hard to prepare for the first normal summer after the pandemic, and to ensure that all travellers have the best possible experience at Oslo Airport and all Avinor airports. We will continue to do so throughout the autumn and beyond,” she concluded.
