Avinor summarizes aviation for 2023: 10% growth, but 10% below normal

One area stands out when summarizing the activity in 2023. The number of international passengers is increasing significantly and is 17 percent higher in 2023 than in 2022. The number of domestic travelers has grown less from 2022 to 2023, with an increase of 5 percent. 

Flight movements at the same level as in 2022 

Throughout 2023, there were 624,421 commercial flight movements to and from Avinor's airports. This represents a 1 percent increase compared to 2022. When comparing 2023 with 2019, there is an 8 percent decrease in flight movements. 

Tourisme is an important driver 

The market to and from abroad has been an important driver for the development throughout 2023, and indirectly for the domestic market as well, says Abraham Foss, CEO of Avinor. 

"The number of visitors to Norway has increased throughout the year, and is now back to the same level as before the pandemic. Tourism is the most important driver, and it is expected that Norway will be an attractive market for foreign tourists in the future as well. 

The number of domestic travelers in Norway did not grow as much, and there is expected to be significantly weaker growth here than we expect from abroad. 

The expected growth will largely come from more tourists traveling domestically in Norway. More tourists have discovered Norway for nature experiences such as the Northern Lights and Norway as a winter destination. At the same time, Norway is a stable country that is not affected by overtourism and has good infrastructure between cities. It is also worth noting that the Norwegian krone is weak compared to the dollar and the euro," says Foss, and continues: "For Norway's ambitions for the development of the tourism industry to be realized, we are completely dependent on the continuous development of the route offering. Avinor attaches great importance to this work through dialogue with the tourism industry and airlines nationally and internationally. 

Regarding Norwegians' trips abroad, this number is about 13% below the level in 2019. 

"The Big Four" - Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger 

The four largest airports all have an increase in passenger numbers in 2023 compared to 2022. With 25 million passengers, Oslo Airport has an increase of 12 percent. Bergen Airport had 6.3 million passengers in 2023, an increase of 6 percent compared to 2022. 

All airports have lower passenger numbers than in 2019, which was the last normal year before the pandemic. For example, there were 28 million passengers at Oslo Airport in 2019. With this, the passenger numbers in 2023 were 12 percent lower than in 2019 at the main airport. 

Bergen Airport Flesland is the closest to the 2019 level among the Big Four; 6.3 million traveled to and from Bergen Airport in 2023, while the number was 6.4 million in 2019. This means that the passenger numbers are 1 percent lower than in 2019. 

Traffic figures in December 

There were 43,927 commercial flight movements in December 2023, 7 percent fewer than in December 2022. 

Passenger numbers in December are also 2 percent higher than in December 2022. 

When comparing December 2023 to December 2019, there were 9 percent fewer travelers. 

Drone flying 

In December, 786 drone flights were reported in Ninox Drone, Avinor's drone management system. "This is an increase of 80 percent compared to December 2022," says Mats Gjertsen, who leads Avinor's drone program. 

There has been twice as many reported drone flights in 2023 compared to 2022. In total, 15,000 flights were reported in 2023. These are strong numbers and show an increase in the use of drones in Norway, says Mats Gjertsen. 

More numbers are attached