SWEDEN. Airport company Swedavia has reported a +5.0% year-on-year increase in passengers at its ten airports in 2016.
The 39.5 million travellers who passed through the Swedish airports marked an annual record for the company.
“Travel continues to grow sharply,” said Swedavia President and CEO Jonas Abrahamsson. “Air travel is an important prerequisite that gives businesses and individuals opportunities to have meetings and experiences. This growth also highlights the necessity of our ongoing investment to increase capacity at our airports.”
Although full-year commercial figures are not yet available, Swedavia previously reported a -1.46% year-on-year decrease in commercial revenue per departing passenger between January and September 2016, to SEK74.3 (US$8.24).
Swedavia attributed the decrease to a change in purchasing behaviour and a change in the mix of destinations, which led to lower tax and duty free sales. “Our challenge is to continue developing the commercial offering at the airports,” it said.
In 2016, travel to and from Swedavia’s airports increased +5.0%. International travel was up +6.0% to 25.8 million passengers. Domestic travel grew +3.0%, to 13.7 million.
Swedavia reported that intercontinental air travel increased the most, up +10% to 2.3 million. European traffic grew +6.0% to 23.5 million.
In December, more than three million passengers flew to or from one of Swedavia’s airports, with a +11% rise in international travel and a +8.0% rise in domestic travel.
Seven of Swedavia’s ten airports set a new passenger record in 2016. Stockholm Arlanda posted +7.0% growth, handling 24.7 million passengers. Göteborg Landvetter saw +3.0% growth, with 6.38 million passengers.