Norman wants to close airports – weeks before new inquiry

In an opinion piece in Dagens Industri, Peter Norman and KTH professor Göran Cars argue for a new way of viewing Sweden’s airport system. Their central idea is that the state needs to take greater responsibility for the system as a whole.

Today, the system consists of ten state-owned airports, 31 regional or municipal airports and two private ones. According to Norman and Cars, Arlanda is the only airport that generates a consistent profit.

Their conclusion is that the state should increase its control over the airports. This could be done by the state taking over regional and municipal airports deemed strategically important, or through cooperation agreements that increase centralisation.

But they go further than that.

“We believe that consideration should be given to closing a number of airports in Sweden,” they write.

The argument is that airports located close to one another, both operating at a loss, may compete with each other. By closing one of them, the other could gain a larger passenger base, more destinations and better prospects of becoming profitable.

Kastrup better than Sturup

As an example, the writers highlight Malmö Airport, Sturup. They believe the airport’s location makes Kastrup a better alternative for many travellers in the Malmö region.

At the same time, Norman and Cars want airports to be seen to a greater extent as parts of a shared transport system. Air, rail and road must be planned together, they argue.

Arlanda also returns to the discussion here.

They point to Kastrup as a model, where the airport is directly integrated with both regional and national rail services. At Arlanda, the situation is considerably worse, according to the commentators, not least because of changes and the high cost of travelling by train to the airport.

This closely reflects several of the conclusions Norman himself presented in his 2025 Arlanda inquiry. The so-called Arlanda Coordination proposed, among other things, major investments in roads and railways and changes to the conditions for the Arlanda Express railway. The inquiry highlighted the need for a more cohesive transport system around Arlanda. 

However, while Norman's Arlanda inquiry focused on strengthening Arlanda's competitiveness, today's opinion piece is considerably broader. It is now about the entire Swedish airport system.

The Bromma issue is just around the corner

In terms of timing, the announcement is particularly interesting.

In May 2025, the government appointed a special inquiry into the state's future role as owner and manager of airports, as well as the function of Bromma Airport. Anders Flanking was appointed special investigator the following month. The assignment must be reported no later than 30 September 2026.

Flanking’s remit includes, among other things, the national core network of state-owned airports, the state’s role as owner and operator, and what Bromma’s sharply reduced scheduled traffic means for the airport’s future function. 

This makes Norman’s latest statement highly relevant. He is now arguing for precisely the kind of greater state control over the airport system that the government has simultaneously tasked Flanking with investigating.

However, Norman and Cars do not put forward any proposal for Bromma’s future in today’s article. Instead, the focus is on the principle that airports must be regarded as a system and that the state should dare to prioritise between them.

Norman has already pointed the way for Arlanda

It is also difficult to overlook Norman’s own role in the issue.

As special investigator for the Arlanda coordination initiative, he submitted the final report Arlanda – an important gateway to Swedish prosperity in June 2025. The assignment was to strengthen Arlanda’s capacity and accessibility in the short and long term. 

He is therefore now taking the next step in the debate: from how Arlanda should be strengthened to which airports Sweden should actually have.

This comes as the government faces a choice over Sweden’s future airport system. Anders Flanking will deliver his response within six weeks at the latest.

Don't miss Travel News Studio on the future of aviation on 21 October – read more here>>