Nearly 4.6 million people flew in and out of Norway’s 46 airports owned by state aviation agency Avinor last month. There was only a modest increase in international traffic, though, and a decline in domestic passengers.
News bureau NTB reported that the overall increase of just 0.5 percent in the number of total passengers traveling through the airports was almost entirely due to a 3.5 percent increase in international traffic. Norway’s weak currency, the krone, has boosted the tourist industry and attracted more foreign visitors because of the favourable exchange rates that make Norway’s high prices more competitive.
There was a 1.2 percent decline in domestic traffic, however, which may be tied to the slowdown in the oil industry and Norway’s domestic economy. The biggest declines were found at airports in Stavanger, long known as the capital of Norway’s oil industry, and in Bergen and Trondheim. Domestic airfares have also risen over the past year.
newsinenglish.no staff
