Domestic travel in May accounted for 2.5 million passengers, which is the same as in May 2024. So far this year, domestic travel has increased by 3 percent compared to the same period last year.
Public Holidays in May
"May, as always, is affected by the placement of public holidays. This influences both domestic and international air traffic. At Bergen Airport, the runway was resurfaced in May. For much of the month, the runway was closed for air traffic between 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM on weekdays. This led to a decrease in the number of flights and passengers at Bergen Airport and also had ripple effects on other airports in the Avinor network," says Gaute Skallerud Riise, Vice President Traffic Development at Avinor.
"We are now entering the peak season for leisure travel. Between June and August, we expect a 2 percent increase in international travelers and a 1 percent increase in domestic travelers compared to last year. There will be many busy days at our airports, and Friday, June 20th is expected to be the busiest day for outbound travel this summer," Riise continues.
Flight Movements
There were 55,000 commercial flight movements in May, a slight increase from May last year. So far this year, flight movements are up by 2 percent.
Increase in Freight
Freight traffic also continues to grow, with a 12.4 percent increase in May and a 7.9 percent increase so far this year compared to May last year. Seafood exports dominate outbound freight, while imports continue to be driven by e-commerce from Asia, Riise concludes.
See the attachment for more statistics from Avinor’s airports.
Increase in Responsible Drone Flying
In May, 3,478 drone flights were registered in Ninox Drone, Avinor’s system for managing drone operations.
“For the first time ever, more than 3,000 drone flight plans were registered in Ninox Drone in a single month,” says Mats Gjertsen, head of Avinor’s drone program.
This represents a 17 percent increase compared to May last year, and a full 30 percent increase year-to-date compared to the same period in 2024.
“This shows us that more and more drone operators choose to fly responsibly by registering their drone operations and making them visible to others. This greatly motivates us in our work to safely integrate drones into the airspace. We hope this is a trend that will continue—especially now, as we are in the peak season for drones,” concludes Mats Gjertsen.
