A technical error paralyzes air traffic over southern Norway. The airspace is closed, and almost all planes are on the ground. Other parts of the country will also be affected.
Published: 25/04/2024 07:21 | Updated: 25/04/2024 08:43
Air traffic in southern Norway is opening for some traffic, Avinor informs NTB
Significant delays are expected. Duration is currently unknown.
– Southern Norway is primarily affected, but eventually other parts of the country will also be affected, says communications manager Cathrine Framholt to NRK.
She says the airspace is closed for the very largest airports, i.e. Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger.
– This spreads quickly, and eventually you will notice ripple effects across the rest of the country.
“We encourage all travelers to comply with the information they receive from their airline. We apologize for the inconvenience this causes”Avinor writes on its website.
At Oslo Airport, the last flight took off at 6 o’clock, according to Avinor’s overview.
Oslo Control Center at Røyken is one of Norway’s three aviation control centers and covers southern Norway together with Stavanger Control Center in Sola. But Sola will have the same problems as you have at Røyken.
Expect major delays
At 08.40 there are 34 canceled flights from Oslo Airport.
SAS informs Aftenposten that they expect significant delays throughout the day.
– We expect many delays, but no SAS aircraft have been diverted or landed elsewhere, says Joachim Sponheim, SAS spokesperson
He says passengers must contact Avinor for more information.
No SAS flight has been diverted or has landed in places other than its original destination.
Norwegian has informed TV 2 that the airspace is initially closed until 11.
– We have been told that the airspace will be closed until 11 in any case. This means that we will have to cancel a number of flights, says communications adviser Eline Hyggen Skari to TV 2.
Avinor says they have no estimate for when the airspace will reopen.
According to Flightrader, there are some planes in the air over southern Norway. One flight from Stavanger has been allowed to take off for Bergen, and one flight from Bergen has taken off for Trondheim. Avinor says that no plane is allowed to take off without it being safe.
– If you see flights, it is because they are prioritized, says Avinor press contact Ylva Celius Trulsen.
Challenges with the communication systems
– We have challenges with the communication systems. There are two systems that do not talk to each other, says Framholt.
Avinor is working hard to get the error corrected, but it is very difficult to say how long it will take, she says.
Data breaches are ruled out, according to Avinor.
All planes are now on the ground in southern Norway.
– No aircraft is allowed to take off. The same applies to all flights going to southern Norway, says Framholt.
She says that there is no danger of any planes not being able to land.
– This error has lasted for an hour, so I don’t think there are any planes in the air over southern Norway now. All planes must also already have an alternative airport on departure that they can go down to if there is a problem, says Framholt.
Even if commercial traffic is paralyzed, the air ambulance can still fly.
– It should not affect us. We have the opportunity to fly when there is a need for it, says press manager Per Håkon Solberg at Norwegian Air Ambulance.
