Norway assesses feasibility of third Oslo Airport runway: part one – environmental factors rank high
Avinor Oslo Airport is one of only two out of five Nordic country capital city airports not to have three runways. Two should be adequate for 28 mppa, which was the airport's total in 2019.
The airport is located 47km north of the capital and is at the forefront of the adoption of environmental guidelines and practices. Its goals are in line with the UN's sustainability goals and support the EU's 'Green Deal', where significantly increased environmental and climate attention is expected.
But Avinor is nothing if not ambitious and, with financial results continuing to improve, clearly sees an end to the pandemic impasse and better economic circumstances.
The government, which owns it, has established a committee to investigate a third runway - it probably will go ahead, and the concept stands to be disproved. The biggest difficulty will be convincing the public in a country that is almost as environmentally aware as neighbouring Sweden.
This is part one of a two-part report.
Summary
- A committee of economists and logisticians will examine the need for a third runway at Avinor Oslo Airport.
- A report will be published by mid-2024.
- The base starting position is that the airport is, and will remain, the main gateway, and that a new runway will be needed.
- But adding such capacity runs contrary to the airport's (and the country's) environmental ethos - it will be a hard sell publicly.
Independent committee to assess the need for a third runway at Oslo's main airport
Norway's government has created an independent committee to assess the possibility of constructing a third runway at Avinor Oslo Airport.
Avinor, the state-run operator that manages most of the country's airports, is one of the world's largest by revenues, typically listing in the top 10-15.
The Oslo airport currently has two runways, of 2,950m × 45m and 3,600m × 45m respectively. The airport handled passenger traffic that amounted to 28.6 million in 2019 - making it the 20th busiest airport in Europe and second busiest in the Nordic countries after Copenhagen - and 9.4 million in 2021.
So far in 2022 (Jan-Oct) traffic has increased by almost 180%, to 19 million.
Most of Avinor Oslo airport's peer Nordic airports have three runways
Of the other four principal airports serving the Nordic country capitals - at Stockholm (Arlanda), Copenhagen, Helsinki (Vantaa) and Reykjavik Keflavik - only the Reykjavik airport does not have three runways.
Norway's Transport Minister, Jon-Ivar Nygård, said factors to be considered include: zero and low emission solutions in aviation, changes in travel needs and patterns, technological development and increased use of drones.
The committee must present its findings no later than the summer of 2024.
Environmental factors will rank highly
The environmental factors will undoubtedly figure highly.
Avinor Oslo Airport, or Gardermoen as it was previously known, is located 47km north of the capital (whereas its predecessor, Fornebu, was close to the centre) and is at the forefront of the adoption of environmental guidelines and practices.
The company created a clear, common group-wide environmental strategy several years ago.
Apart from the standard aims of controlling greenhouse gas emissions; discharges to water and soil; aircraft noise; energy consumption; consumption of products and materials; and waste - all employees and partners at its airports must understand the group's most important environmental aspects.
Its goals are in line with the UN's sustainability goals and support the EU's 'Green Deal', where significantly increased environmental and climate attention is expected.
It has an annual 'Greenhouse gas inventory', verified by a third party.
There was a reduction in CO2 emissions of 16% in 2021 compared with 2020, and 54% compared with 2019, although it was of course partly attributable to reduced operations and activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Avinor seeks solutions for environmental challenges through cooperation with research and development institutions, authorities and other national and international organisations.
Avinor and Oslo Airport are, over a four-year period, participating in an EU-funded project (TULIPS) where the goal is to contribute to the development of innovations that facilitate the transition to transport with low climate footprint and sustainable airports across European borders.
The airport majors on developments such as biogas (advanced bio diesel) - all new vehicles, including those designated to an airport city project, must be operated electrically or by biogas unless there are clear situations in which they could not be used effectively.
Electric buses are now used to carry passengers between terminals and remotely parked aircraft.
Electric cars well catered for…
Although many people use the express 'Flytoget' train from central Oslo or local rail services, which run almost all day and night, private vehicle operators have more than 800 charging options for electric cars in the parking garages.
From 2020 a requirement of 0.5% biofuel was introduced as a share of all aviation fuel sold in Norway, which is the first country in the world with such a requirement.
The biofuel must be advanced - that is, fuel that is made from waste and residues.
…and electric aviation encouraged
There are many other examples of Norway's, and Avinor's, commitment to environmentalism, but perhaps the one that stands out is the Electric Aviation project that got under way in 2018.
Avinor and its aviation industry partners aim to make Norway a 'world leader' in electric aviation.
The goal is to make Norway the first country where electric aircraft account for a significant share of the market, and to electrify all Norwegian domestic flights by 2040. The project is supported by the government, and the other project partners are Widerøe, SAS, the Norwegian Association of Air Sports, and the Zero Emission Resource Organisation.
Whether battery technology can be enhanced to that degree within that timescale remains an unknown - but the Norwegian authorities cannot be criticised for their lack of enthusiasm.
But another runway won't cut the mustard with environmentalists
So the investigation into the need for a third runway will take place against that comprehensive environmental background.
Even to the casual observer it will appear somewhat contradictory ("we will combat environmental pollution by giving more airlines another runway to land more planes on"). To the committed environmentalist it is anathema.
Avinor's latest environmental statement can be found here: Avinor Oslo Airport Environmental Report 2021
The main purpose of the study according to the Norwegian Transport Minister is to produce a basis that enables the government to decide whether there is a need to set aside land for a third runway at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.
Encroaching roads could influence the positioning of a runway
The acquisition of land should not in itself be a problem.
The airport is situated well north of the Oslo metropolitan region, which in any case sprawls east-west rather than to the north. The nearest sizeable town, Jessheim, is approximately 4km from the runways.
There is high ground to the north and west, at around 500m, but not close enough to impact unduly on the positioning of a third runway in addition to the two existing north-south ones.
However, there are two main highways on either side of the airport which might do. The E16, which runs from Sweden's Baltic Coast to the Norwegian North Sea Coast, and the E6, which is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway.
Gardermoen is literally at a trans-Scandic vehicular crossroads.
Location of Avinor Oslo Airport (terrain map), Norway
The impact of the two non-government airports to the south must be taken into account
The investigation must naturally contain calculations of future travel volumes by air in the region, as well as options for the way that the expected number of travellers in the future should be handled.
The committee will also look at what role the non-government airports in the central Østlands area (Moss Rygge and Sandefjord [Torp]) should play.
The former, now owned by a 'distress' investment company and up for sale, is not currently operational and hasn't been since 2016, but the latter most certainly is.
Sandefjord handled over two million passengers in 2019 (about 1/14th the total at Oslo's largest gateway), and in 2022 to date (Jan-Oct) has recovered to almost 1.5 million, at the same recovery rate as Avinor Oslo Airport.
There are no other airports locally that directly challenge Avinor Oslo Airport.
That Avinor Oslo Airport will still be the country's main gateway is a given
The starting point for the investigation is that Avinor Oslo Airport should continue to be Norway's main airport, and to be a national hub for domestic and international traffic.
The committee's report will be sent for public consultation before the government presents its view to the Storting (Parliament).
The state will first decide whether a third runway should be built if, at some point in the future, Avinor realises that there is a need for it and must apply to the state for a licence for it.
That is a notably loose requirement.
Committee members drawn from far and wide, but no aviation or environmental specialists
The committee will be chaired by Professor Emeritus in social economics Siri Pettersen Strandenes from Bergen.
Other members are:
- Siri Hatlen: Oslo - Independent/Chairman (Civil Engineer/ MBA)
- Frode Steen: Bergen - Professor of economics (Doctorate in Economics)
- Eivind Tveter: Molde - Associate Professor (Doctorate in Logistics and Master's Degree in socio-economic analysis)
- Simen Bakken: Oslo - Project Manager/Consultant (Civil Engineer).
It is interesting to note that there are no aviation-specific representatives, nor are there any environment-specific ones, although 'socio-economics' is broadly the same.
The presence of representatives from other cities is beneficial, to avoid any allegations of bias.