Traffic rises by 3% at Swedish airports

Emily Pacey

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Strong growth in international passenger numbers offset a decline in domestic traffic

Swedish state-owned airport authority Luftfartsverket (LFV) welcomed 29.6m passengers at its eight airports in 2006, up by 3% on the previous year. International passenger numbers increased by 7% to 16.3m, offsetting a 2% fall in domestic traffic.

The authority said that these figures are in line with its expectations, and blamed the decline in domestic traffic on some airlines’ reduction in capacity on domestic routes.

Stockholm-Bromma airport recorded the highest increase in passenger numbers during 2006, up by 22%. Passenger numbers at Jönköping were up 7%, while traffic at Göteborg-Landvetter and Visby airports grew by 5%. Malmö increased by 4% and Stockholm-Arlanda by 3%. Karlstad airport’s passenger figures for the year were down 22% compared with 2005. Skellefteå and Kalmar also recorded reductions in passenger numbers, 13% fewer at Skellefteå and 12% at Kalmar.

In December the number of passengers at LFV airports was down 2% compared with the same month in 2005, with a rise of 4% in international passenger numbers offset by a 7% drop in domestic traffic.

Since 2004 LFV airports have experienced a 15% increase in international traffic.

The authority recently submitted a package of proposals to the Swedish government requesting permission to sell duty-free and duty-paid liquor in arrivals and departures. At present it is only allowed to sell liquor to passengers leaving the EU.