Increase in Autumn Traffic – International Travel Stands Out

While summer has come to an end, autumn remains a popular season for travel. This is clearly reflected in the 4.9 million passengers who traveled through Avinor’s airports in September. Compared to the same month last year, this represents a two percent increase – for both domestic and international air traffic.

We are particularly seeing growth in international traffic in September compared to September 2024. Over two million passengers traveled to and from Norwegian airports and international destinations, marking a three percent increase.

– The trends we observed during the summer traffic have continued into September, a month increasingly characterized by tourism. We see that the growth is largely tied to markets with strong international interest. For example, Bergen experienced an 11 percent increase in international passenger numbers, while Evenes and Tromsø saw growth of 11 and 6 percent, respectively, says Gaute Skallerud Riise, VP Traffic Development at Avinor.

Other major airports, such as Oslo (+1%), Stavanger (+1%), and Trondheim (0%), however, experienced weaker growth in total passenger numbers for September.

– It is clearly a concern for the respective regions, but also for Norway as a whole, regarding the development of Oslo Airport, which is the country’s main airport and hub, says Skallerud Riise.

Record-Breaking September

Another trend that has developed over the past three years is the record-high load factor on flights.

– In September, 74.5 percent of all seats were filled by passengers, setting a new record for the month. So far this year, the load factor stands at 74.7 percent, which is also a record compared to previous years. The growth in passenger numbers is therefore outpacing the increase in available seats, says Skallerud Riise.

Flight Movements

There were 66,578 commercial flight movements in September, representing a one percent increase from last year.

Increase in Responsible Drone Flying

More people are flying drones responsibly, according to the figures from September. Last month, 3,320 drone plans were registered in Ninox Drone – Avinor's system for managing drones.

– In September, we saw a 15 percent increase in the number of registered drone plans compared to the same month last year," says Mats Gjertsen, head of Avinor's drone program.

– It is positive that responsible drone use is increasing. More people registering their drone plans in Ninox helps create a culture of safe and visible drone flying. We encourage everyone who flies drones to familiarize themselves with the regulations before flying.

So far this year, a total of 25,344 drone plans have been registered.