The airspace over southern Norway was closed on Thursday morning due to a technical error at the Oslo Control Center in Røyken, reports NTB.
At Gardermoen, the last flights took off at 06.00. And a Norwegian flight from Alta to Oslo that landed in Tromsø, and stayed there for several hours.
Other aircraft that were supposed to go from Tromsø and towards Oslo also waited to fly south.
– If they are going to southern Norway, they have to wait. For now, the airspace is closed over southern Norway. No one can fly as of now, said Avinor’s press officer, Cathrine Framholt, to iFinnmark early this morning.
Opens to traffic
At 09:35 Avinor reports that the file has been corrected and the airspace is gradually opening up to traffic.
– Due to the incident, there will unfortunately be delays throughout the day. Avinor apologizes for the inconvenience this causes, Avinor writes on its website.
Aircraft that need special help, such as rescue helicopters and long-haul aircraft, are prioritized first, Avinor informs NRK
Are you affected by the flight chaos? Contact iFinnmark’s journalists here.
Significant delays are expected
Due to the closure of the airspace in southern Norway, Norwegian had to cancel many flights.
– We continuously make direct contact with customers who are affected, says press officer Eline Hyggen Skari.
Significant delays to air traffic are expected on Thursday.
The recommendation to travelers is that they relate to the information they receive from their airline.
Great challenges await in Tromsø
To Nordlys, airport manager Ivar Helsing Schrøen at Tromsø Airport says that it has started piling up with planes that should have actually been taken off.
– Now all the machines that were supposed to go to Oslo are standing. Now a machine from Alta is also coming in. It will be very crowded here, says Schrøen.
He also expects big challenges throughout the day.
