Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
HONG KONG—The abolition of Sweden’s aviation tax in July has set the stage for renewed growth across Swedavia’s airports, with Director of Aviation Business Elizabeth Axtelius highlighting rising international demand.
“So far, 2025 has been excellent for Swedavia and our 10 airports. The demand for air travel continues to be strong, and load factors are all-time high,” Axtelius tells Routes. “During the year, we have—or will—welcome seven new airlines as customers and add 35 new routes to our overall offer.
“In addition, the continued investment by airlines in new traffic to and from Sweden has given our travelers 23 new destinations to discover, easily accessible from our airports.”
The new routes include 24 new services from Stockholm and nine from Gothenburg, while northern airports such as Luleå and Umeå are benefiting from increased interest in Swedish Lapland. Luleå, for instance, will see a new scheduled Zurich route starting in December 2025 alongside expanded charter activity.
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In the long-haul market, ANA launched service to Tokyo Haneda earlier this year, and Norse Atlantic will begin operating to Bangkok and Phuket ahead of winter 2025-26. Frequencies have also risen on key intercontinental routes, with Air China, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada and Qatar Airways all adding capacity.
Axtelius says that Sweden is “an underserved market,” with demand now aligned with pre-pandemic levels but capacity still lagging. “We do need better connectivity within Europe as well as to the large intercontinental hubs, in North America, the Middle East and Asia,” she says. “Swedes are a traveling people, and even though the macroeconomic climate has been weak, traveling is prioritized.”
However, government policy is reshaping the operating environment. Sweden abolished its aviation tax on July 1—a levy that had charged passengers between SEK76 ($8.20) and SEK504 depending on the destination. Axtelius describes the move as “of great significance to a country like Sweden.” She adds, “We need a good connectivity considering foreign trade is of great importance for our economy.”
Despite this, Axtelius acknowledges continued difficulties in the domestic market, particularly in southern Sweden. With limited competition, fares remain high, and with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) switching alliances to SkyTeam and focusing on Copenhagen, regional dynamics are altering. But she says: “The Scandinavian market is changing. We will be facing a growing demand for travel in the region, and that may very well turn the challenges to an excellent opportunity, both for our existing and potential airline customers.”
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