Swedavia’s traffic statistics for December and the full-year 2023

The recovery in air travel continued in 2023 and was mainly driven by increased international travel and an expanded range of routes and destinations at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. During the year, more than 32 million passengers flew through Swedavia's airports, which represents an increase of 17 percent compared to last year and about 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The strong trend in international travel and a weaker trend in domestic travel strengthened somewhat in December. The year was also marked by strong aviation operations at Swedavia's airports and an even better passenger experience at Stockholm Arlanda thanks to the new security control, which, combined with an improved commercial offering, has led to a significant increase in customer satisfaction. The trends seen in 2023 are expected to continue into the beginning of 2024, given prevailing uncertainties concerning the economic situation and global events.

"The air travel recovery continued in 2023 with a strong trend in international travel, while the weaker trend in domestic traffic strengthened somewhat towards the end of the year. During the year, the operational capability was generally very strong at our airports in general and Stockholm Arlanda in particular. Thanks to our dedicated staff and our investments in both a state-of-the-art, world-class security control at Stockholm Arlanda and a strengthened commercial offering, the passenger experience and customer satisfaction have been improved," says Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia's president and CEO.

During the year, nearly 40 new routes and 9 new destinations were added at Swedavia's airports. SAS, Ryanair and Eurowings accounted for most of the new routes added in 2023. Åre Östersund introduced a new route to Copenhagen with SAS in December and SAS added Arlanda-Agadir in November. Other major additions during the year include United, which reintroduced a route between New York and Arlanda. Wizz Air also started operations at Stockholm Arlanda in the autumn, as did Royal Jordanian Airlines which introduced a route to Amman. SAS also flew a New York-Gothenburg Landvetter route during the summer travel season of 2023.

With the introduction of a new, modern security control in Terminal 5 at Stockholm Arlanda, waiting times at security control have been significantly shortened. In December, the average waiting time for passengers passing through the new security control was less than 2 minutes.

For the full year 2023, more than 32 million passengers flew through Swedavia's ten airports, which is a 17 percent increase compared to full-year 2022. International travel increased 19 percent to almost 24 million passengers, while domestic travel increased by 10 percent. In the month of December alone, just over 2.2 million passengers flew through Swedavia's airports. Nearly 1.7 million passengers flew on international flights, which is an increase of 5 percent compared to December of last year. Domestic travel decreased 13 percent to nearly 600,000 passengers in December compared to December of last year.

Stockholm Arlanda Airport served close to 22 million passengers in 2023, which is an increase of 19 percent compared to 2022. International travel increased 20 percent to just over 18 million passengers, while domestic travel increased 13 percent to more than 3.5 million passengers. Stockholm Arlanda Airport served more than 1.5 million passengers in December, an increase of 3 percent compared to December of last year. International travel increased 7 percent to 1.3 million passengers, while domestic travel increased 12 percent to just under 250,000 passengers.

Göteborg Landvetter Airport served more than 5 million passengers in 2023, which is an increase of 17 percent compared to 2022. International travel increased 18 percent to more than 4.5 million passengers, while domestic travel increased 8 percent to nearly 700,000 passengers. Göteborg Landvetter Airport served more than 350,000 passengers in December, which is a 5 percent increase compared to December 2022. International travel increased by 10 percent to 300,000 passengers, while domestic travel decreased 21 percent to just over 40,000 passengers.

Other Swedavia airports had varying trends for the full year 2023 and in the month of December. Of Swedavia's regional airports, Åre Östersund, Luleå Airport and Umeå Airport had the strongest performance during the year compared to 2022. Traffic at Luleå Airport has recovered the most compared to traffic levels before the pandemic in 2019.

Malmö Airport and Bromma Stockholm Airport had a weaker trend compared to other airports - travel decreased 26 percent and 20 percent, respectively compared to December of last year.

December traffic trend – number of passengers:

More detailed information about Swedavia’s traffic figures and statistics is available (in Swedish) on Swedavia’s website: Statistics | About Swedavia

Tips for passengers before flying: Get a good start to your journey | Stockholm Arlanda Airport (swedavia.com)

For further information, please contact Swedavia’s press service at +46 (0) 109 01 00 or press@swedavia.se.