– Not worried about the holiday exit – E24
After two years of pandemic, summer traffic is picking up fully. Friday is expected to be one of the busiest days at Norwegian airports for a long time.
But the day did not start so well. It was early Friday morning large queues at Gardermoen after the X-ray machine for scanning luggage was out of order after maintenance.
Troubled morning
– But now it’s flowing well. It flows on both check-in and security check without large queues. But there will be some consequential delays, says Harald Kvam, communications manager at Oslo Airport, to VG at 0730.
The main X-ray machine was out of operation for a short time and a half.
– The machine has reached up and running and has been for quite some time and we have sent everything we have of staff and opened all security checks, says Kvam.
Friday begins the summer holidays for many. Men several weeks at the airport in Europe, there are still solutions to handle the large volumes of passengers on the most travel days.
As many as two out of three airports in Europe state that they expect more delays than usual this summer – something that can have consequences for travelers from Norway.
– There will be more traffic peaks in the future. We see, for example, on Friday and Sunday there will be busy days at Oslo Airport and the other major airports, says communications manager Kvam at Oslo Airport.
These are the busiest days at Oslo Airport, which accounts for the desired largest volume, at the beginning of the summer:
- Friday 17. June, 90,000 passengers are expected.
- On Sunday 19 June, 95,000 passengers are expected.
- Friday 24. June, 95,000 passengers are expected.
- On Sunday 26 June, 97,000 passengers are expected.
Kvam emphasizes that the numbers are emat which can deviate somewhat both up and down.
– Do you have to pay extra attention to these days?
– We recommend that people pay close attention to information from their airline. We are already doing everything we can at our airports to give everyone a good start to their holiday. We have also prepared well, so we are not worried about the holiday departure from Norwegian airports, as it looks now, says Kvam.
Airport chaos in Europe
At the request of VG, Avinor has shared the most popular destinations from Norwegian airports during the summer months:
- Copenhagen
- London
- Amsterdam
- Stockholm
- Alicante
Listen shows the number of airline seats offered and not the number of people. The first three on the list are often hubs and not end destinations.
One of the world’s busiest airports, Schiphol in the Netherlands, announced on Thursday that it will have to cut hundreds of flights this summer. Earlier in June, KLM refused to take passengers to Schiphol.
On Thursday evening, the director of Schiphol informs at the airport, where there are a number of daily passengers. In July the number must be limited to 67,500, in August 72,500. Thus, more flights must be canceled.
Schiphol has not ready to hire enough security personnel or roomkeepers after the corona restrictions, while the number of passengers is increasing rapidly.
The same goes for a number of other airports in Europe, such as Arlanda in Sweden.
At Kastrup in Copenhagen, there were long queues at Pentecost. But the airport informed E24 that they expected to have enough staff in place when the summer holidays start at the end of June.
In Spain, flight crew unions have announced a strike from June 24, unless wage conditions improve. Ryanair in particular will be affected by a possible summer strike.
– Increased staffing
– Have measures been taken at Norwegian airports to ensure manning and not ports in the same situation as several of the European airports?
– Avinor has spent a long time preparing for this summer, and we have increased staffing where needed. For example, Avarn, which operates security checks at airports, has been recruiting several security guards since last autumn. At the same time, Oslo Airport has increased staffing when it comes to airport helpers, who are out on the floor and assist travelers, and in the operations center that manages the airport, says Kvam.
He says that Avinor has an ongoing and good dialogue with the airlines and the handling companies. The latter is responsible for, among other things, check-in and baggage handling.
– In Norway, we are also lucky because we have had the opportunity to allow people during the pandemic. This is due to state support and expanded licensing options. I other countries have not all been equally lucky, and it is often difficult and time-consuming to bring in people again, where many have lost their jobs, he says.
SAS crisis
Earlier this spring, it became known that the partly Norwegian airline SAS is in deep financial crisis, which may also affect the holiday plans for Norwegians who intend to travel abroad.
Briefly explained: So far in 2022, the company has had a deficit of approximately four billion kroner, and they have already canceled 4,000 departures in the summer months.
This week began to start between the pilot unions in Scandinavia and SAS. Formally, the parties meet to be the only ones on collective agreements for the pilots, but the ongoing restructuring and cost tightening in SAS will also have an impact on the negotiations, writes NTB.
If the parties do not become the only ones before midnight on 29 June, it is planned that 900 SAS pilots in Norway, Sweden and Denmark will go on strike. The news agency TT estimates that a strike could strike around 250 departures and 45,000 travelers daily.
In Norway, the Norwegian Pilots’ Association has announced the termination of seats for 256 members, while Parat will go on strike in addition to 170 members if no agreement is reached.
Press manager Tonje Bjerve Sund in SAS accused the pilots of “conflict over negotiations” when the strike warning came last week:
– This shows a shockingly poor understanding of reality for what situation SAS is in right now, she told E24.
Also in Spain, trade unions for aircraft personnel have announced a strike from 24 June, unless wage conditions improve. Ryanair in particular will be affected by a possible summer strike.
Travel roads
I’m a new one survey conducted by the Norwegian Tourist Associationthree out of four answer that they will take all or part of the summer holiday in Norway.
Half of the respondents also answer that they want to go hiking in the summer and 60 percent answer that they want to go in the woods and fields or along the coast during the holidays.
Nils Karbø is department director for Traffic Management and Emergency Preparedness in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. He explains that the “joint holiday” is not what it once was.
– People travel at different times, and many probably have a more flexible working day which makes this possible. We no longer have the big exit days as it was before, but see very often that there is a lot of exit traffic on Fridays throughout the year. We would like to see an extra peak on inner days. Then many choose to travel away.
– Which stretch is busiest in the summer?
– We expect the most traffic and risk of queues out of the largest cities in the days before weekends after school starts. The E18 south from Oslo must also expect a lot of traffic and possible delays. There are also a number of road work areas here, which it is important to be prepared for. Feel free to check vegvesen.no/trafikk for traffic announcements to the extent you need to drive, he says.
On these sections, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration sees that there is generally a lot of traffic:
- E6 from Oslo towards Lillehammer
- E18 from Oslo towards Kristiansand
- E6 from Oslo towards Svinesund
- E16 from Sandvika towards Hønefoss (especially now that there are large road projects on this stretch / Sollihøgda)
– In the summer, with the exception of the «joint holiday», there is a high activity of maintenance work, including asphalting, railing work and edging (often night work), so you should be aware of this and calculate good time where you are going. You can plan your itinerary www.175.no, says Karbø.
– Please note
Karbø points out that there will be queues on ferry routes – especially at popular holiday destinations in Western Norway and in Northern Norway.
– Summer is a time when there are many out on the roads, and someone may have their first trip with a motorhome or caravan. Be careful. There are many who need to visit the same places so you can travel in advance. Plan your trip, he suggests.
He draws out some general advice:
- Pack the car properly.
- Secure loose objects.
- Take a break when you need it.
- Hold the queue.
In recent weeks, there have been serious traffic accidents in which several people have died.
According to Karbø, there are no special days to pay attention to “accident days” in traffic, but they are important for what is generally with attention in traffic.
– Be prepared for other road users to do unexpected things, look at views and driving places that are not known. This can create dangerous situations, says Karbø.
– Do you have any good general advice for travelers in Norway this summer?
– Plan your trip well, pay attention to the traffic, keep the speed limits and show consideration for others. Take your time and stop and rest if necessary!