In January, 3.5 million passengers used Avinor’s airports. This is an increase of nine percent compared to January 2024. The largest increase is among international travelers, with the number of travelers rising by 13 percent. The number of domestic travelers is six percent higher than in January last year.
“The start of the year has shown strong development, with the number of international trips being the main driver. The growth in the number of international travelers is influenced by the significant increase in tourism to Norway as a winter destination. Norway is increasingly standing out as an attractive destination in the international competition for winter tourism,” explains Gaute Skallerud Riise.
Christian Lunde from VisitOSLO also has figures from the Oslo region that confirm this development:
“In 2024, we experienced a surprising interest and growth from the international market. Norway has been put on the map through everything from northern lights tourism to exciting cities to visit. In 2024, Oslo saw a 15 percent increase in international overnight stays, and 40 percent of all overnight stays were international. In the last months of the year alone, international growth was 28 percent in October, 34 percent in November, and 26 percent in December for the Oslo region compared to 2023.
We are experiencing that winter tourism to Oslo and Norway is a trend that will strengthen. More direct routes and a perceived ‘exotic’ climate are important driving forces, in addition to high quality throughout the visitor industry,” says Christian Lunde.
Fuller Flights and More Cargo
There were 47,289 aircraft movements in January. This is about three thousand more than in January 2024, an increase of six percent.
At the same time, the number of passengers increased by nine percent. “This leads to a higher load factor on the planes, which is positive for the utilization of flight capacity in the Norwegian market,” continues Gaute Skallerud Riise.
“In 2024, cargo on incoming long-haul passenger flights increased by a full 71 percent. The trend of more cargo continues in January. At Oslo Airport, there was an increase of five percent in January compared to January 2024. An important driver for the development over the past year has been the increase in incoming cargo on international passenger flights. This contributes to better economics for airlines at Oslo Airport, as well as better utilization of capacity in the market,” concludes Gaute Skallerud Riise.
Greatest Growth for the Smaller Airports
It is the regional airports (DRL) that had the largest percentage growth in January, with an increase of 17 percent.
The major airports (Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger) also increased, but for them, the total passenger growth was seven percent in January compared to January last year.
50 Percent More Drone Flights in January
In January, 1,456 drone flights were reported in Ninox Drone.
“This is an increase of more than 50 percent compared to January 2024,” says Mats Gjertsen, who leads Avinor’s drone program. “These are high numbers in a month with generally lower drone activity, and it is a sign of clearly increased use of drones in Norway,” says Gjertsen.
