International air travel through Swedish airports continues to show robust growth, with Swedavia reporting a 5% increase in international passengers during October 2024.
However, this growth comes amid a noticeable decline in domestic travel, painting a complex picture of Sweden’s aviation landscape.
International Demand Drives Overall Growth
Total passenger traffic across Swedavia’s ten airports grew by 1% compared to October 2023, serving over 2.9 million travelers.
International routes proved particularly successful, handling more than 2.2 million passengers. This growth reflects travelers’ sustained interest in international destinations and airlines’ strategic expansion of winter routes.
The increase in flight operations, which rose by 1% compared to the previous year, further underscores the market’s positive trajectory.
Major Airports Show Mixed Performance
Stockholm Arlanda Airport
Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Sweden’s primary aviation hub, demonstrated particularly strong performance during October. The airport welcomed over 2 million passengers, marking a significant 5% increase from the previous year.
International travel showed exceptional growth, with 1.7 million international travelers passing through the airport, representing a 7% increase. These figures indicate that Arlanda has achieved an impressive 91% recovery of its pre-pandemic passenger levels, suggesting a strong return to normalcy for Sweden’s largest airport.
Göteborg Landvetter Airport
Göteborg Landvetter Airport maintained stable operations throughout October, serving approximately 478,000 passengers. The airport’s international sector showed continued growth, with 427,000 international travelers representing a 2% increase from the previous year.
However, domestic travel at Landvetter faced challenges, with only 50,000 domestic passengers, marking an 18% decrease.
Despite these mixed results, the airport has recovered to 81% of its pre-pandemic passenger volumes, marking steady progress in its recovery journey.
Domestic Market Faces Challenges
While international routes flourish, domestic air travel shows concerning signs of weakness across Sweden. The nationwide domestic passenger count has decreased by 7%, settling at approximately 715,000 travelers for the month.
This decline is particularly pronounced in southern Sweden, where reduced demand has led carriers to decrease the number of available departures.
The situation highlights the ongoing challenges facing Sweden’s domestic aviation sector and raises questions about the future of regional connectivity.
Airlines Expand Winter Route Networks
Several carriers are actively expanding their winter offerings, demonstrating confidence in the market despite domestic challenges. Norwegian Air has significantly enhanced its presence by introducing new routes from Arlanda Airport to popular destinations including Hurghada, Agadir, and Tromsø.
The carrier has also strengthened its operations from Landvetter Airport, launching new services to Hurghada, Tenerife, and Marrakesh.
The route expansion extends beyond major carriers, with regional airline Västflyg establishing a new connection between Arlanda and Trollhättan.
Additionally, WizzAir has enhanced its presence in southern Sweden by introducing new routes from Malmö to both Bucharest and Iasi.
Further route developments are anticipated for winter 2024 as airlines continue to adjust their air traffic programmes to meet evolving market demands.
Regional Airports Show Varying Results
The performance of Sweden’s regional airports presents a diverse picture of the country’s aviation recovery. Kiruna Airport has emerged as a standout success story, leading the network in both year-over-year growth and pandemic recovery levels.
Umeå Airport follows closely behind in terms of passenger growth compared to October 2023, while Luleå Airport shows strong recovery when measured against pre-pandemic figures.
However, not all regional airports share this success. Malmö Airport and Bromma Stockholm Airport face more challenging conditions, recording the weakest performance trends compared to October 2023.
These variations highlight the uneven nature of aviation recovery across different regions of Sweden and the particular challenges facing Swedish airports in more densely populated areas.
Cargo Operations Strengthen
The freight sector demonstrates encouraging signs of recovery and growth since the summer of 2024. Increased demand for cargo services has prompted airlines to enhance their intercontinental traffic offerings.
Carriers have responded by adding more cargo capacity to their operations, reflecting growing confidence in the freight market. This strengthening of cargo operations provides an important revenue stream for airlines and airports while supporting Sweden’s international trade connections.
Summary
Overall passenger volumes for Swedish airports has reached 83% of pre-pandemic levels, indicating continued progress toward full recovery. While domestic travel faces current challenges, the strong international growth and expanding route networks suggest a dynamic and evolving Swedish aviation market.
The continued investment by airlines in new routes and services, particularly in the international sector, demonstrates sustained confidence in the market’s future. This is despite the varying performance across different sectors and regions.
The contrast between international growth and domestic decline presents both opportunities and challenges for Sweden’s aviation industry as it continues to adapt to changing market conditions and travel patterns.
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