You Won’t Recognise Oslo Airport By This Time Next Year

With one year to go for the grand opening of a major project to grow Oslo Airport, the airport’s management company, Avinor, reports that the project is running according to plan.

By the time the doors open on 27 April 2017, Norway’s main airport will be almost twice as large with capacity to serve up to 30 million passengers.

“The development is on schedule. Already this year, part of the new Oslo Airport opened to the public. When we cut the ribbon Thursday 27 April next year, the project will be completed,” said Airport Director at Avinor Oslo Airport, Eyvind Hasaas.

For his part, Transport Minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen says he is delighted with the progress.

“Oslo Airport is the main hub in the Norwegian transport and travellers will soon get a better experience with a bigger, better and more efficient airport,” he said.

Growing and Going

One of the requirements of the project has been that development should not impede existing air traffic. Since breaking ground on the project in June 2011, operations have continued smoothly and Oslo Airport has twice been named Europe’s most punctual airport.

“It’s no easy task to run a major international airport and a huge construction site at the same time. All our staff have done an excellent job over the years and now we go into the final round,” says Hasaas.

Work in Progress

Every day, there are about 1,600 workers on the construction site. With one year left, the development 94 percent complete. But now that the construction project moves into the final phase, passengers may be encounter work in progress to a greater extent than before, Avinor explains.

“This year, passengers will, for the first time, feel that they are on a construction site. Although we will continue to do everything we can to ensure it’s not an obstacle for a good experience, we must resort to several temporary solutions, and it may unfortunately be crowded on days with many travellers,” Hasaas says.

Alternate Paths for Domestic Passengers

Arriving passengers on domestic flights on domestic flights will be first to encounter parts of the new airport as they arrive through temporary arrangements around the new terminal.

“Until September 1, all incoming domestic passengers will go a temporary way behind the new arrivals hall. The change is due to major construction activity in the area where [domestic travellers] normally go, but it will have no practical consequences for passengers,” says Hasaas.

The new arrival hall for domestic passengers will open on Thursday, September 1st. It will ultimately be connected to the arrivals hall for international departures, increasing capacity and making more space available to travellers arriving from Norway and abroad.

“It will be the first big opening we make the new Oslo airport and we look forward to it. We need more space for arriving passengers and we are confident that this will be well received,” Hasaas says.

Throughout 2016 and until the inauguration next year, more features will open to travellers, in phases, including the new passageways of the North pier and duty-free shops at arrivals.