As the world now slowly opens up and we can soon travel again, there is strong demand from passengers and airlines for the possibility to get PCR and antibody tests and have travel certificates issued at the airport. Pursuant to the Swedish Act on Public Procurement, Swedavia has signed an agreement with ExpressCare to set up a test center at Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
Swedavia and the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) have signed a SEK 500 million loan agreement. The seven-year SEK 500 million (approximately EUR 49 million) loan agreement is a Covid-19 response loan aimed at facilitating financing for industries heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
In June, 179,000 passengers flew via Swedavia’s ten airports, a decrease of 95 per cent compared to the same month last year, when there were 3,845,000 passengers. For the third straight month, air travel was strongly affected by the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Some traffic started up again at the airports primarily at the end of the month, and this trend is expected to continue.
In May, more than 80,000 passengers flew via Swedavia’s ten airports, a full 98 per cent decrease compared to the same month in 2019, when there were a total of 3,600,000 passengers. For the second straight month, results were affected by the full impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. This trend is also expected to continue in June although there are some signs of a restart.
Ylva Arvidsson, Swedavia’s Director of Cargo, believes there is pent-up demand for air cargo and that air cargo can play an important role in the recovery of the aviation industry and of the world’s economies.
In April, 63,000 passengers flew via Swedavia’s ten airports, a full 98 per cent decrease compared to April last year, when Swedavia had more than 3.2 million passengers. The full impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic was evident during the month, and a number of the airports had no scheduled service. Traffic is expected to remain at very low levels in the near future.
During the quarter as whole, 6.6 million passengers flew to or from Swedavia’s airports, but during the second half of March, all air traffic nearly came to a standstill as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is reflected in sales revenue, with Swedavia’s net revenue declining during the period to 1,245 million Swedish kronor.
Taking the Swedish government’s aid package for rent relief as its starting point, Swedavia is now giving rent reductions of up to 50 per cent for a total of some 100 businesses at its airports.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is an increased need for personal protective equipment for healthcare employees in Sweden. Swedavia’s airports are now contributing by donating equipment such as face masks and protective eyewear to health care facilities throughout the country.
In March, more than 1,317,000 passengers flew via Swedavia’s ten airports, a full 60 per cent decrease compared to the same month in 2019. The effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact since airlines cut all or reduced their traffic. The downturn accelerated during the month and has continued in April, so far with a decrease of about 97 per cent.
Swedavia has decided to implement an action programme in order to adapt its operations in the face of a dramatic decline in passenger volume combined with uncertain market prospects. Operations in the company will be adapted to a minimal level based on the market situation, and at the bigger airports, operations will be concentrated temporarily to certain sections.