Response to interpellation 2024/25:215 on functional Swedish airports for the benefit of the whole country
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that the government has taken measures to strengthen aviation's competitiveness by abolishing the aviation tax and doubling the operating support for non-state airports 1. KD believes that the aviation tax and flight shame have affected the competition and the development of domestic aviation 2. KD emphasizes that it is difficult to rebuild decommissioned infrastructure and that the analysis of the situation is important for redundancy and aviation of societal importance 3 2. KD argues that the government's ambition is to link the transport system 2. KD believes that issues regarding Arlanda's operation and expansion are Swedavia's responsibility and are not within the minister's area of responsibility 2.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Hanna Westerén has asked me what initiatives I and the government intend to take to ensure that Arlanda Airport will be able to handle a significantly larger number of domestic travelers when Bra ceases flying to Bromma and instead operates at Arlanda. Hanna Westerén has also asked me if I intend to take any initiatives within my area of responsibility regarding what form of activity and level of service can be offered to any operators who begin operating at Bromma Airport from the turn of the year 2024/25.
First, I would like to thank Hanna Westerén for her commitment to the air connections in Sweden. A well-functioning, long-term sustainable and reliable transport system where all types of traffic are developed and contribute to the transport policy goals is a prerequisite for the whole of Sweden to function. The conditions for being able to live, reside and work in the entire country need to be improved.
Swedavia AB is responsible for the national basic supply of ten airports, including Arlanda and Bromma airports. Companies with state ownership are subject to the same laws as privately owned companies, for example, the Companies Act (2005:551). In the Companies Act, there is a division of responsibility between owners, the board, and management. It is the company's board and management that are responsible for the company's organization and the management of its affairs as well as the ongoing management of the company's operational activities, and I have no comments on how Swedavia AB conducts its operations.
Since the government took office, we have taken several measures to strengthen aviation's competitiveness and safeguard good accessibility by air. In December 2023, the government gave a coordinator a mandate to conduct a dialogue with relevant actors to identify and propose measures that can be implemented in both the short and long term for increased capacity and improved accessibility to and from Arlanda Airport. The assignment is to be reported finally no later than May 31, 2025. Already on November 14 this year, however, the coordinator submitted an interim report with a focus on the railway connections to Arlanda Airport.
Other measures that the government has taken include that the common fee equalization system for security checks of passengers and their luggage, GAS, has received an additional amount of just over 1 billion kronor to counteract fee increases. The state contribution for operational support to non-state airports has also been doubled, and in the budget bill for 2025, the government has proposed that the aviation tax be abolished from July 1, 2025, among other reasons to improve accessibility throughout the country. Furthermore, Trafikverket received a mandate in April this year to investigate, prepare, and take necessary measures to give municipal and regional authorities the opportunity to supplement the state supply of flight routes with a general transport obligation.
The measures are significant for creating good conditions for the development and competitiveness of aviation and airports. The Government continues the strategic work regarding aviation's competitiveness.
Hanna Westerén (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Infrastructure, for the answer! Compared to the debate I had earlier, this one perhaps feels a bit more hopeful and future-oriented.
I will not speak for all Gotlanders, as aviation is not everyone's preferred means of transport to and from Gotland. But I know that we are very many Gotlanders who mourn that Bromma Airport will soon no longer be possible to travel through.
I believe, or at least hope, that the Minister for Infrastructure is aware that for people from Gotland and probably also for some travelers from other parts of the country, Bromma Airport has been absolutely outstanding. I don't know – I also heard this from aviation operators at a meeting earlier – if there is any other airport that offers the same flow in the streams and the same quick way into Stockholm city. It is incredible how smoothly and well Bromma has functioned in its smallness.
That all traffic is moved over to Arlanda is a challenging thought for us Gotlanders. We know what we have, but we don't really know what we will get. In the current situation, most of us Gotlanders use Arlanda at some point during the year, and then usually as transit, not as our final destination or as our departure airport to Gotland. And Bromma has served Gotland incredibly well. I want to have that said.
And with all traffic being moved over to Arlanda, I see some imminent risks for the flight route to and from Gotland, besides that we on Gotland in the largest sense end up further away and further out.
Firstly, I want to point out that the travel time to Gotland is being extended. Gotland needs to come closer to the mainland, not further away. After New Year, the travel time to Gotland by plane – the effective travel time, also including the journey to and from the airport – will become more than an hour longer. It will also take longer to get around inside Arlanda airport. It will be quite many hours per year, Madam Speaker – hours that cause Gotland to lose in attractiveness and that hinder continued work and residency on Gotland.
Secondly, we feel great concern regarding the pricing, both the prices per flight ticket as we already see that fewer operators cause prices to skyrocket, and the prices for effectively and quickly getting to and from Arlanda Airport. Brommas 42 kronor for the cross-track and subway becomes very hard to beat.
For the third, I understand that it is not possible to get Bromma's smallness at Arlanda, but agility and size do not need to exclude each other. After New Year, even more domestic traffic will be shared with international traffic, and that will require smart solutions. I hope they are in place after the turn of the year when 90 percent of the traffic at Bromma moves over to Arlanda.
Therefore, I would really like to hear the Minister's assessment. How prepared is Arlanda Airport? Can the Minister clarify that? I take the Minister at their word regarding our common interest in "the strategic work concerning the competitiveness of aviation."
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I want to first say that I share the view that Hanna Westerén expresses. There are many who appreciate and have appreciated Bromma Airport.
Regarding the situation that has arisen, it is important not to draw too quick conclusions from the announcement from SAS and Bra. We are following the developments closely and analyzing the announcement.
It is easy to dismantle this type of infrastructure, but it is difficult, if not completely impossible, to rebuild it. Bromma Airport, in addition to scheduled traffic, has a role to play for socially important aviation, for example, ambulance flights, and it is important to create redundancy and robustness in the airport system. These are, of course, important aspects when the question is analyzed moving forward.
Regarding the first question that the member poses, several of those parts are something that Swedavia's board and management are responsible for. They have the responsibility for the company's operational activities, i.e., flows and other matters inside the airport that Hanna Westerén mentions.
The second question, which concerns initiatives within my area of responsibility, primarily concerns commuting or travel opportunities to and from the airport. Here, the government has already tasked Peter Norman, as the government's Arlanda Coordinator, to present proposals that can strengthen the connection to other parts of the transport system and simplify travel to and from Arlanda for those traveling both to and from Gotland and other parts of the country and internationally, but also for those who work at Arlanda Airport. There are approximately 20,000 jobs, so there is reason to strengthen the commuting opportunities also for that reason.
I received a question from a journalist when the announcement came from Bra and SAS regarding whether it means that Peter Norman will now have more time for his important assignment. I was about to say: No, he probably needs to work even faster, because this makes it even more urgent.
That is why it was positive to participate in the hearing organized at the Government Offices earlier this week, where Peter Norman's partial report with preliminary conclusions was discussed with various actors who have different parts of the responsibility.
Regarding the transport infrastructure to and from Arlanda, there are several stakeholders, and it is important that everyone pulls in the same direction. What Peter Norman has proposed, among other things, are reinforcements in the infrastructure and reinforcements in the transport arrangements. He also has proposals regarding the agreement with A-Train to, if possible, achieve increased traffic but also lower prices for travel to and from Arlanda. Those proposals have just been submitted in a preliminary partial report, and that report is now being prepared in the Government Offices. In the next step, a report on the roadside will come, and then a final report on the date I reported, May 31, 2025.
The idea is that these measures can be included when the new national plan is considered, but several of the measures may need to be implemented earlier than that. Several of them will probably also concern Swedavia's area of responsibility. In that case, I must refer to that company, which is responsible for the operational management of the airport.
Hanna Westerén (S)
Madam Speaker! I hear what the Minister says, that we do not yet know how it is going with Bra and SAS, and that is indeed the case. It is completely true. We know that the merger is being worked out at this moment, and we Gotlanders and also people who want to travel to Gotland have started booking trips for next year.
We who are business commuters have already booked our trips with SAS for next year. It is the only flight we have to book. It also becomes some kind of market indicator. It also becomes very urgent, because if Arlanda is considered an unattractive airport - we know that one competes very hard with Kastrup - and Gotland is considered an inaccessible destination, we know that the lost attractiveness takes a long time to regain.
It is, Madam Speaker, after New Year's that it happens. The merger is underway. It is an absolute fact by the latest after the turn of the year. At that point, we will have no traffic left at Bromma. That makes it very urgent.
The Minister for Infrastructure refers to the investigation which is to be completed in May 2025. I do not want to diminish or undermine it in any way, for it absolutely has its place. It is very important that it is carried out. But what I believe most people in Gotland are demanding now are measures in both the short and long term. When it comes to short-term measures, I am still questioning what they are. As said, after New Year's, it happens. Then 90 percent of the passenger traffic at Bromma is suddenly to take place at Arlanda. I do not yet quite understand whether Arlanda is actually prepared for that.
I also believe, Madam Speaker, that the Minister for Infrastructure possibly knows much more than I do about this. But Bromma Airport is, for the time being, still open. It is very clearly noticeable for those of us who use it that it is an airport that probably expects to be heading towards the history books. The shelves are quite empty. Many have probably already started changing their travel patterns. As far as we know, Bromma remains formally, but we also know that if 90 percent of the traffic disappears after the New Year, the situation will become completely unsustainable.
Then I wonder what the plan is for Bromma Airport moving forward, if the Minister for Infrastructure is allowed to decide and does not refer to Swedavia. It is being talked about and rumored that there are actors who are eager and investigating the market and think that there could be room for an additional actor, and Bromma Airport is, as said, very well equipped for domestic traffic. But what offer is there then to these actors after the turn of the year 2025? Is Bromma Airport heading towards the history books, or is it standing ready for domestic traffic if there are interested actors?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I have no new updates regarding Bromma other than that we are analyzing the situation and that it is important not to draw too quick conclusions, especially in light of what the member points out, that there may be other actors who want to operate there. There are also other reasons to look at Bromma Airport from the perspective of redundancy, the socially important aviation. There are many who think that one can quickly and easily make this type of decision. The update I gave earlier was that it is difficult, if not impossible, to restart such infrastructure once the decision has been made. Therefore, the situation is being analyzed.
I have no new information to provide on the questions the member poses. This is part of the national basic supply, which Swedavia, which is responsible for the airport, also has at its disposal.
When it comes to the competitive situation between Kastrup and Arlanda, a very important contributing cause of the distortion of competition has been the aviation tax which has affected the possibility of international traffic to and from the airport in Sweden. It has also been a hindrance to the development of domestic aviation. Now we are removing it.
Another part has been the debate that has been held around flight shame and that one should not travel by plane. One should actively avoid flying, according to travel policies in many organizations and also municipalities that also own airports, which one can of course discuss. But it is not quite the right forum for this debate. I note that what Per G Braathen, Bras owner, said in an interview regarding Bromma is that it is the flight shame that has taken the life out of Bromma airport. That, of course, stands for him.
There are many different factors that have caused the domestic market in Sweden to be and have been weak. Now, of course, we are trying to strengthen aviation's competitiveness. But it is clear that much of what we see today could have been in a different position. If there had not been an aviation tax and if the debate about avoiding aviation at almost any cost had not been so strong, we could have had a different discussion in the chamber today. Now we stand where we stand. I hear the member's questions. I want, of course, to repeat what I have said, that questions regarding Arlanda's operation and how well equipped the airport itself is are questions for Swedavia's management. I cannot answer them. They are not within my area of responsibility. On the other hand, it is a high priority in the measures concerning accessibility to and from Arlanda, which is also an important issue for Arlanda's and aviation's competitiveness. It is not only important for aviation's competitiveness but for the entire transport system in Sweden. The government's ambition is to link the transport system together to a greater extent and not set different types of traffic against each other, but rather achieve better functionality in the transport system as a whole.
Hanna Westerén (S)
Madam Speaker! As said, as someone coming from Gotland, ferries and flights are among the best we have. Our land route is our ferries, but the flight is completely indispensable. And that applies in many parts of Sweden.
If we are to have a functional domestic network, we need, just as the Minister for Infrastructure said, several functional types of traffic that are not to be set against each other.
I regret a little that I am not receiving any information, because I still believe that the Minister for Infrastructure has information on how to prepare an airport for such a major change. I would have liked to have some additional information with me home today regarding what we can expect at Arlanda next year.
It will be a big change. As I said earlier, Bromma Airport has served Gotland incredibly well. It has brought us closer to the mainland, enabled work commuting, visits and growth in the tourism industry, among many other things. I believe that it has truly been a growth factor for Gotland, so it is sad for Gotland's sake that Bromma Airport is disappearing. Therefore, it would have been much easier for a Gotlander and a Gotlandic Member of Parliament if the change that is coming had been filled with a little hope that we will move from something functioning to something else that can also function. But there I continue to feel worried, I must unfortunately say.
As said, we share the view that aviation will also continue to be a very important part of Swedish transport and the Swedish domestic network. I truly hope that in the future we will have, among other things, an Arlanda airport that functions better than it does today, because what we see today will not be enough.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! It is a tough situation and an undesired development. It is a consequence of the domestic market having yielded to aviation. The reasons for this can be discussed. I touched upon some of them earlier.
Madam Speaker! The member has asked specifically about initiatives within my area of responsibility, and it is these that I can answer in the chamber. I understand that there may be other and more questions, but in those cases, I must refer them to those who can answer them.
Of course, this is an important issue for me as Infrastructure Minister to follow and stay updated on. But the questions concerning which initiatives are now being taken, I must refer to those who have the mandate to answer them.
Thank you very much for the commitment! We truly share that.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.