Southern Norway: Technical error closes the airspace for several hours in the future

The airspace over southern Norway is currently closed until 11 o’clock, Norwegian informs TV 2.

– Significant delays are expected. Duration is currently unknown. We encourage all travelers to refer to the information they receive from their airline. We apologize for the inconvenience this causes. This is all the information we have at the moment. We will come back with more information. writes Avinor in a press release.

Just before 06:00 on Thursday morning, the airspace over southern Norway was closed to air traffic.

The reason is supposed to be technical problems at the control center in Oslo.

– There are two systems that do not talk to each other, which means that the air traffic controllers cannot send the flight plan over to the planes, Avinor press officer Ylva Celius Trulsen elaborates to Teknisk Ukeblad.

Expect major delays

Trulsen says that significant delays can be expected as a result of the technical problems.

– Duration is currently unknown, she says.

Avinor encourages all travelers to comply with the information they receive from their airline.

– We apologize for the inconvenience this causes. This is all the information we have at the moment. We will come back with more information, they write in a press release.

At Oslo Airport, the last flight took off at 6 o’clock, according to Avinor’s overview.

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Not hacking

It is currently unknown what caused the airspace to be closed. But it is not due to a data breach, according to Avinor.

– I can deny that it is. There are two systems that do not talk to each other as they should, says press officer Helene Wattanapradit Jensen in Avinor to NRK.

The National Security Agency (NSM) informs NTB that they have not received any information linking them to what is happening over the airspace in southern Norway. Avinor confirms to NTB that the error occurred a little before 6.30.

– Now the airspace is closed in the whole of southern Norway due to challenges at Røyken. We are doing what we can to find the fault and get traffic moving again. It is too early to say when that will happen, says communications manager Cathrine Fuglesang Framholt in Avinor to NTB.

Tells passengers to travel as usual

NTB spoke just after 6.30 with a passenger on a plane that was supposed to take off from Gardermoen, but where the pilot stated that air traffic control is down all over the country, and that the entire system is paralysed.

– Now the airspace is closed in the whole of southern Norway due to challenges at Røyken. For now, the airspace is closed. We are doing what we can to find the fault and get traffic moving again. It is too early to say when that will happen, says communications manager Kristine Framholt at Avinor to NTB.

She asks the passengers to travel to the airports as usual.

– Do as normal if you do not receive any other message from your airline, says Framholt.

Will probably land

There were several planes in the airspace in southern Norway when the news came from Avinor. These planes will probably be allowed to land, says operations manager Øystein Skaar at Bergen Airport Flesland to Bergensavisen.

– Even if the airspace is closed, these will probably be allowed to land as normal, says Skaar.

– And then no more planes will take off until the situation is clarified, he says.

Avinor is responsible for 43 state-owned airports as well as the air traffic control service for civil and military aviation in Norway.

Kept up to date

Norwegian’s press officer Silje Glorvigen tells VG that all their flights to and from Oslo are affected. She does not have figures on how many planes are involved.

– We keep our passengers up to date on what is happening via text message, she tells the newspaper.

Avinor is responsible for 43 state-owned airports as well as the air traffic control service for civil and military aviation in Norway.