Avinor will freeze charges

The reduction in air traffic as a result of the financial crisis is leading to dramatically reduced income for the airlines, who are Avinor's most important customers. This is also leading to reduced income for Avinor, but we do not wish to make the situation even worse for our customers by increasing charges. We are therefore asking the Ministry of Transport and Communications to freeze the charges at the present level throughout 2010, says Avinor Group CEO Sverre Quale. In the light of a demanding investment programme, Avinor had previously recommended to the ministry an increase in charges to the airlines of around 3.5 per cent in 2010. However, in view of the negative development now being experienced by many large airlines, not least SAS, Avinor has decided to change its recommendation. We have no wish to make the situation even more difficult for our customers, says Quale. Given unchanged traffic volumes, the changes will result in a loss of income of about NOK 140 million for Avinor in 2010. Avinor must primarily compensate for this through internal measures to improve results, says Sverre Quale. It is Avinor's owners, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, who fix the aviation charges through regulations.