In September, airport operator Swedavia publicized its intentions to shut down its Bromma Stockholm Airport. Recently the Swedish government confirmed that this would take place, by signalling that at the end of April it was looking to free up the land for housing.

Svedavia had stated last September, that running Bromma Airport open was “no longer justified on commercial grounds.”  It went on to say that it is possible to consolidate air traffic in the Stockholm region at Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

In late April, the Swedish officials held a press conference featuring the Minister of Climate and Environment and the Minister of Infrastructure. The two government officials together remarked that the airport’s continued existence was not commercially justified, echoing the sentiments of Swedavia’s September statement. It was also noted that the closure of the airport would provide space for more housing.

The availability of housing in Stockholm has been an issue for a while now. Hence, the closing of Bromma Airport would provide for as much as 1.62 square kilometres of land space to be repurposed for residential development.

Jonas Abrahamsson, President and CEO, Swedavia said in an official statement, “The aviation market is facing an unprecedented crisis. Bromma will most likely have excess capacity due to low traffic volume for a long time going forward.

In the long term, the cost of this will be borne by passengers and already wounded airlines, which we do not believe is possible.”

Now, with Swedavia and government officials in agreement, an investigator will be appointed who will research and plan for operations to be moved and when the airport can be shut down. This investigation is expected to the wrapped up by August 2021, meaning that there will probably be at least four to five more months of operations at Bromma. The government did, however, state that it wanted the closure to take place as soon as possible.

With less flights operating due to the global health crisis, and without the same level of disruption that might be experienced in ‘normal times,’ the transition of flights to Arlanda Airport should be less challenging. Another window for the closure could likely be during the airport’s quieter seasons, possibly after the summer peak. Of course, we’ll have to wait to see what the investigation comes up with.

The government and Swedavia have confidence that commercial air traffic from Bromma can be handled successfully at Arlanda in the short term “without bringing forward any significant further investments in infrastructure.”

However, Swedavia says that further investments in infrastructure are required at and around Arlanda, in the longer term. “These investments include an additional runway at Arlanda,” the airport operator says.

The closure of Bromma Airport will have its disadvantages. Swedavia mentions that with the closure and consolidation at Arlanda, some areas in Sweden, air links to Stockholm would decline. However, some areas would get “better national and international connectivity by bringing together domestic and international traffic at one airport.”