The Swedish government has announced its intention to close Bromma Airport in Stockholm. A government committee will look at how the airport can be shut down as soon as possible to free up land for housing.
The availability of housing in Sweden's capital city has long been an issue and the closure of the airport should make more than 400 acres of land available for residential development.
Arlanda now dominates Stockholm aviation
Although Bromma remains Sweden's third busiest airport by passenger traffic, it is very much in the shadow of the much larger Arlanda airport, which handles international flights to the Swedish capital and many domestic flights.
Members of the Swedish royal family opened Bromma Airport opened in May 1936 and served as the city’s main airport for around 25 years. The jet age necessitated the construction of Arlanda farther away from the city to handle more and larger planes.
Yet given its close proximity to central Stockholm, Bromma has remained an important part of Sweden’s aviation network especially for business, charter and some domestic flights.
Demand for air travel drops
But demand for air travel has dropped in Sweden, even before the pandemic began. The trend of flygskam (flight shaming) was blamed for a 5% drop in air traffic in 2019. The drop in domestic flights was even bigger, with many Swedes switching over to long-distance trains instead.
The decision has not come out of the blue. Heated discussions over Bromma's future have been ongoing for years. Last year, airport operator Swedavia published a report stating the continuation of operations at Bromma could not be economically justified.
The conservative opposition Moderate Party said that if they win the next election, they will work to continue operations at the airport for at least another 10 years. “The decision is a catastrophe for domestic flights,” traffic spokesperson Maria Stockhaus told TT.
However, despite the closure of Bromma, the Swedish government is not turning away from air travel entirely. A spokesperson said it will evaluate options to expand capacity at Arlanda, including a potential new runway.
"close" - Google News
April 24, 2021 at 11:33PM
https://ift.tt/2QW9T69
Sweden's Third Biggest Airport To Close forbes.com - Forbes
"close" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2QTYm3D
https://ift.tt/3d2SYUY
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Sweden's Third Biggest Airport To Close forbes.com - Forbes"
Post a Comment