Stockholm Arlanda Airport to lower airport charges

In December, Stockholm Arlanda Airport set a new passenger record of 24.7 million passengers. The goal is to be Scandinavia’s leading airport, and Stockholm Arlanda is now further reducing its airport charges.

“We are now reducing charges to airlines for the third straight year and will thus be even more competitive. The fact that we have succeeded in attracting 15 new intercontinental direct routes to the airport in three years is clear evidence of this,” says Elizabeth Axtelius, director of Aviation Business at Swedavia.

Swedavia is reducing airport charges by an average of 1 per cent as of April 1. As a result, the airlines’ airport charges will have been decreased by a total of 6.5 per cent over the past three years. Since 2005, Swedavia’s airport charges have been cut by more than 20 per cent.

“The competition is becoming increasingly intense between international airports to encourage new airlines to launch operations or develop existing operations and invest in exciting new routes. So it feels really good that we can continue to lower our charges. When we look at comparable airports in Europe, our prices are about 20 per cent lower,” Ms Axtelius notes.

The growth in traffic is also expected to continue in 2017, when Swedavia expects its airports overall will pass the 40 million passenger mark for the first time, and Stockholm Arlanda Airport will increase volume for the seventh straight year. Stockholm Arlanda is making substantial investments to expand capacity. During the year, 2.9 billion Swedish kronor will be invested in Swedavia’s airport operations.

In April, Swedavia will launch a number of initiatives to increase efficiency and the long-term development of its airports. This will be achieved in part by reducing passenger charges to encourage a higher load factor on flights.

“We are using incentives with airlines by introducing a new graduated discount on volume. The more passengers, the larger the discount. Along with our competitive prices, we offer discounts to airlines that choose to increase their traffic and invest in new destinations,” Ms Axtelius adds.