A closure of Bromma Airport could mean the end of many of Sweden's airports. This is the view of the interest group Sweden's Regional Airports, which is appealing to the Riksdag to oppose a closure.
The stark reality that airline routes around the country are in danger if Bromma Airport is closed prematurely, describes Peter Larsson, CEO of the member organization Swedish Regional Airports.
”"Bromma is the domestic airport for all of Sweden. Smaller airlines to smaller towns will be eliminated if they are to compete at Arlanda. Bromma's future is a Swedish issue, not a Stockholm issue," he says.
Next week, Swedish Regional Airports will meet with the parties in parliament to argue that Bromma should not be closed prematurely.
In mid-September, the state-owned airport company Swedavia announced that it was not commercially justified to continue operating Bromma Airport.
An early closure, before 2038, is therefore now on the table.
Swedavia CEO Jonas Abrahamsson also appealed for a quick decision from the government about the airport's future.
As Dagens Industri previously reported, the figures behind the conclusions about Bromma are being kept secret by Swedavia and the government.
The Government Offices have not received the report in its entirety, which means that it is not public, and the responsible minister Ibrahim Baylan (S) has only received a verbal briefing from the company about the situation.
Peter Larsson at Swedish Regional Airports thinks this is really bad.
”"It's astonishing. An issue of accessibility for an entire country seems to be decided by a few behind closed doors. Not even the responsible minister seems to have read this report," he says.
The coronavirus pandemic has almost completely cut off the airline industry's revenue, and bankruptcies are both imminent and imminent. This applies not least to Swedish airports.
The state-owned airport company Swedavia lost approximately SEK 1.5 billion in turnover during the first half of this year. This can be compared to the company's total turnover in 2019 of just over SEK 6.2 billion.
Swedavia has received substantial government grants, just over SEK 3.1 billion, to be able to continue its operations: Ten airports from north to south.
In comparison, non-state airports, which Sweden's regional airports represent; 33 in number, have received state corona support of SEK 100 million.
Peter Larsson believes that the model of a state-owned company that only operates the large, profitable airports is not sustainable. The municipalities should take on the burden of airports that do not have the potential to make a profit, he says.
”"It is high time to review Swedavia as a structure. Do as in Norway and Finland. Distribute the profits to all airports," says Peter Larsson.
After Swedavia's announcement about Bromma's lack of commercial acumen, the Green Party and the Social Democrats have taken the line that Bromma should be closed down. S wants Arlanda to be expanded at the same time, MP does not want that.
The Center Party swung earlier this week on the issue and joined the S-line, however, the party is torn internally over the new position.
But this development is not commercially sustainable, says Peter Larsson, who says that prices would undoubtedly rise if Arlanda takes over Bromma's operations.
The reason is that airlines that fly domestically to and from the regions, with very small margins, then have to compete for the same takeoff and landing times as other domestic and international flights.
”"Bromma enables domestic traffic from smaller regions where travelers need to get to and from the capital. If traffic is moved to Arlanda, it will not be profitable for small companies to fly to smaller locations. Competition for the necessary slots at Arlanda will be too fierce," he says.
Source: di.se
