LONDON – Some time ago, major expansion plans for the Bodø Airport (BOO) in Northern Norway, were revealed. The expansion project has now been given the green-light by the Avinor Airports Board.

Expansion is a go

On December 7, the Avinor Board announced their approval of the new Bodø Airport (BOO)-construction.

The reason for the approval is reported to be the follow through from the Bodø municipality and the Norwegian Armed Forces initiating a partnership. This has lead Avinor to approving a brand new Bodø Airport with a scheduled completion in 2029.

With the expansion also comes a hefty price tag, with the project costs being NOK 7.2 billion at 2022 prices, with the purchase of land and financing costs excluded from the price.

The Avinor Group’s Board of Directors also approved Avinor’s financial contribution to the project, with the contribution being NOK 2.6 billion. The rest will be funded from local funding and contributions by the Norwegian government.

Statements

Chief Executive Officer of Avinor, Abraham Foss, stated the following on the approval: “We are pleased to make this decision following a lengthy process that has involved the Norwegian Armed Forces and the municipality of Bodø.”

“We are going to build a new airport, and the urban development project will have a major impact on the entire region. It goes without saying that this has been a difficult issue for Avinor. On the one hand, we are keen to develop a new airport and we have always been clear about this.”

“The municipality of Bodø is also keen to see a new airport built while also been given the opportunity to build a new neighbourhood. Furthermore, the project has enjoyed broad political support in the Storting.”

“At the same time, this is a very costly project that will have an impact on Avinor’s finances for many years to come. This is a big project for Avinor, the municipality of Bodø and the Norwegian Armed Forces.”

“It is only natural that the path to a final decision has been rather long and winding, even if all parties involved had a clear desire to get it over the finishing line,” Foss concluded.

A hard decision

The idea of a new airport in Bodø has been a hard decision to make by the Avinor Board. The decision has been heavily postponed due to several reasons, with the greatest one being the company’s financial status following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Though, the board approved its principled endorsement of the airport project, and clearly noted that a final decision would be announced when numerous key aspects of the project were clarified.

“We have always been committed to securing the right allocation of costs in the project, and on ensuring that the correct framework with all necessary clarifications is in place between the parties.”

“Now that enough issues have been clarified, we are satisfied to be able to make this historic decision,” Abraham Foss continued.

Overall

It remains no secret that this project’s final decision has been long awaited, and anticipated after being postponed heavily due to known events. However, the final say and judgement of this project will most definitely make a lot of people happy.

The partnership between the Royal Norwegian Air Force and Bodø municipality does not also come as a shock, as Bodø served a key role and as a military base for the Norwegian F-16 fighter jets which are now retired.