Development of air transportation in Sweden: environmental innovations and new routes

In 2023, the Swedish airline industry continued to recover from the pandemic. This is evidenced by the arrival of new airlines and the return of existing ones to the country's airports. This allowed the resumption of most routes and destinations.

Throughout the year, Swedavia continued to fulfill its commitment to transition to fossil fuel-free aviation. A significant achievement in December was that Gothenburg Landvetter Airport and Malmö Airport received the highest level of certification under the Carbon Accreditation program. This recognition puts Swedavia in an elite group of five airport operators worldwide who have achieved this standard," writes travelandtourworld.com.

"Aviation connects people, brings friends and families together, allows them to exchange ideas and experiences, and gain new knowledge from all over the world. Air travel is simply a necessity for people to meet, and when we look at the numbers for 2023, we see that this need remains strong," writes Jonas Abrahamsson, President and CEO of Swedavia, in his statement on the company's results.

Over the past year, Swedavia has played a key role in advancing the aviation industry's efforts to make a climate transition, and its sustainability initiatives are gaining increasing public recognition.

In December 2023, Swedavia's efforts were recognized with Level 5 certification at Gothenburg Landvetter and Malmö airports, the highest level achievable, aiming to achieve a zero carbon footprint. In addition, seven of Sweden's ten airports have received the second highest level of certification (ACA4+) from Airport Carbon Accreditation, which underscores Swedavia's leadership in climate change in the aviation sector.

"In 2023 and 2024, we will continue to work with our customers and partners to create a fossil fuel-free aviation. This year, for the fifth year in a row, we are implementing our incentive program aimed at increasing the use of environmentally friendly aviation fuel. As part of this program, Swedavia reimburses up to half of the cost of refueling with environmentally friendly aviation fuel. As in 2023, this year's program will have a budget of SEK 40 million, which is twice as much as in 2022. Since the program's launch in 2020, SEK 100 million has been invested in the program," says Abrahamsson.

Arlanda Airport is an important element of Sweden's basic airport infrastructure. It is crucial for connecting the country's regions with other countries around the world.

"Last year, Swedavia successfully implemented a new state-of-the-art security control system at Arlanda, the center of Sweden's national basic infrastructure. This investment has certainly paid off. In December, the average waiting time for passing through security was two minutes. This has helped to significantly improve the passenger experience and is an important step in Arlanda's further development," says Abrahamsson.

Key events in 2023:

Last year, Sweden's airports handled more than 32 million passengers, up 17% from 2022. Although air travel accounts for only 1% of global traffic, it accounts for 35% of the value of goods typically transported.

Stockholm's Arlanda Airport increased its efficiency in the summer with a new security system in Terminal 5, equipped with EU-certified equipment that allows passengers to leave liquids and electronics in their hand luggage during security checks.

In October, Arlanda Airport in Stockholm opened an 11,000-square-meter Marketplace with about 50 food and retail outlets. This facility is the largest at Sweden's main airport, which handles around 23 million passengers annually.

Looking ahead to 2024, Sweden is committed to further developing fossil fuel-free aviation. This year, for the fifth year in a row, the sustainable use of aviation fuel is being encouraged through an incentive program that offers up to 50% reimbursement of costs. With the SEK 40 million allocated for this year, the total investment has reached SEK 100 million since the program's inception in 2020.

Earlier, Travel Wise wrote that Ryanair is opening four new routes to Stockholm and Gothenburg airports.