Avinor, Gardermoen | The airspace over southern Norway is closed – major delays in air traffic

The airspace over the whole of southern Norway is closed on Thursday morning as a result of a technical error at the Oslo Control Center. Norwegian has been informed that it will be closed until 11 o’clock.

– 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.

Some traffic

The airspace in southern Norway opens for some traffic, Avinor informs NTB just before nine o’clock on Thursday morning. But it will take some time before traffic is back to normal.

– We are told that there will be some opening in the restrictions, and that some planes will be allowed to land now. This means that they have gained control over the airspace, but that there will still be strict restrictions, says communications manager Cathrine Fuglesang Framholt in Avinor to NTB at 8.40am.

– We have not received confirmation that the error has been rectified and that it is 100 per cent in order, but we can open for some air traffic, she says.

She emphasizes that safety comes first.

– After all, we are a security industry, where security is always the first priority. We are opening for some traffic, but then it will take a long time before we are completely back to normal, she says.

– Priority will probably be given to flights that come from far away and are due to land, says Framholt, who among other things refers to a flight from New York to Oslo.

Last flight at six o’clock

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

NTB spoke just after 6.30 a.m. to a passenger on a flight that was supposed to travel from Gardermoen to Zurich at 6.25 a.m., but where the pilot stated that air traffic control is down over the whole of southern Norway, and that the entire system is paralysed.

While they wait for the plane to be allowed to take off and set course for Switzerland, food and coffee are handed out to the passengers.

– 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 advisor Eline Hyggen Skari at Norwegian to TV 2.

Rescue missions proceed as normal

The rescue helicopters will fly as normal on Thursday, says rescue manager Jan Erik Skorte in the main rescue center to NRK.

– If it is a question of life or death, we fly as normal – completely regardless of this, says the rescue manager.

Nothing has happened so far on Thursday morning that has led to an assignment, he says.

The Norwegian Air Ambulance will not be affected by the flight stoppage either, says press manager Per Håkon Solberg.

– We fly when we have to fly, says Solberg.

– Do as normal

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.

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.

Framholt informs Bergensavisen that there are two computer systems at the control center that are not talking to each other as they should. As a result, air traffic in southern Norway cannot be managed properly, and due to safety reasons the airspace must be closed until further notice.

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 the newspaper.

– 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.

Two planes landed at Oslo Airport – one from Billund in Denmark and another from Førde – at 7.10 on Thursday morning. A number of flights are scheduled to land in the next hour. Several of these have had significantly delayed landing times, according to the airport’s overview.

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.