Winter tourism leaves its mark on air traffic in January: – Experiencing strong growth

In January, over 1.4 million international passengers traveled through Avinor's airports. This is an increase of 6 percent compared to January last year. The figures show that the trend we have seen in recent years, with increasing winter tourism to Norway, continues into 2026.

– The year begins with an increase in total air traffic, and it is international traffic that has contributed significantly to the development in January. The northernmost airports contribute the most overall, and Norway as a winter destination is experiencing strong growth, says Gaute Skallerud Riise, VP Traffic Development at Avinor.

The choice of destinations shows that something has changed in the market recently.

– We are seeing that more parts of the country are beginning to take clearer positions in this market and are preparing for development in international winter tourism, says Skallerud Riise.

Domestic traffic remains the largest. In January, it increased by 1 percent, with a total of 2.1 million domestic travelers. In total, 3.6 million passengers traveled through Avinor's airports in the first month of the year.

Flight movements

When it comes to flight movements, 47,778 commercial flight movements were registered in the first month of the year. This is an increase of 1 percent compared to January 2025.

– We are seeing a greater increase in the number of passengers than in the number of flight movements. This indicates that the aircraft operating at our airports continue the trend of having more passengers on board each flight.

Increase in drone activity

In January, 1,742 drone flights were registered.

– We are seeing a significant increase in the number of drone plans, with a 20 percent increase in January compared to the same month last year. However, there are still fewer registered drone flights than during the summer months. This is because the weather in January leads to lower drone activity, says Mats Gjertsen Bye, Head of Avinor's Drone Program.

Gjertsen Bye says it is positive that more people are engaging in responsible drone use and choosing to fly in a safe and visible manner.

Key figures for January 2026:

• 3.6 million passengers (+3% from January 2025)
• 2.1 million domestic (+1%)
• 1.4 million international (+6%)
• 47,778 flight movements (+1%)
• 1,742 drone flights (+20%)

See more figures and infographics for Avinor's airports in the attachments.