A new arrival route system that’s being installed to serve flights landing at Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen (OSL) was causing delays of up to three hours on Thursday. Flights may also be delayed over the next three weeks.
The new system, called Point Merge, has forced OSL to reduce airspace capacity during April. Civil aviation officials were urging passengers to be prepared for delays.
Airlines are responsible for providing information on any cancellations to their passengers, who are, meanwhile, asked to show up for their flights as scheduled.
The new arrival system will ultimately boost capacity through OSL, Norway’s gateway airport, and reduce emissions during take-off and landing, according to Avinor, Norway’s civil aviation authority. Avinor officials said Point Merge will eventually give both pilots and air traffic controllers a larger degree of predictability when flights approach the airport.
Delays were initially minor during the morning rush, of as little as 15 minutes to around an hour, but they increased during the day. Introduction of the new system has forced a reduction in the number of flights to just 15 incoming and 15 outgoing flights per hour.
Views and News staff
