The number of departing seats from Nordic countries has risen 32% between 2010 and 2017, with this translating to an average year-on-year increase in seats of 4.0%, wrote anna.aero yesterday, adding that ”the best country for growth last year was the Faroe Islands, with it seeing a 33% rise in seat capacity between 2016 and 2017.”
Last year was a record-breaking one for the Faroe Islands, with Vagar Airport handling 300.469 passengers during the first 10 months of last year, an increase of some 43,620 passengers (17% increase) when compared to the first ten months of 2016. This result has knocked Iceland into second place (having been the fastest growing market between 2015 and 2016 – up 36%), with the latter market reporting a 32% rise in seats last year. Overall Nordic countries combined offered 112.87 million departing seats in 2017, writes anna.aero.
Having seen over a 32% increase in departing seat capacity in 2017, Reykjavik/Keflavik is the leading airport in the Nordics when it came to growth last year. The result has meant that in terms of capacity, it has now overtaken Bergen and Gothenburg airports in the rankings. Second to Iceland’s international gateway for growth was Stockholm Arlanda, with it posting an 8.3% rise in departing seats last year versus its 2016 operation. Copenhagen, the leading Nordic hub, reported a small capacity reduction last year, with departing seats down 1.3% against the total flown in 2016, states anna.aero.