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Interview with Mats Rodgerson, Commercial Director of Stockholm Skavsta Airport AB
The Stockholm southern gatewayCheap air travel has made the world a smaller place, and the trend continues. The possibility to choose and combine individual flight packages contributes to this development, just like people’s growing wish to travel. The Swedes in particular like to travel extensively, and to faraway destinations at that. Moreover, recent surveys show that half a million of the coun-try’s ten million inhabitants are frequent travellers because they spend some or all of their working life abroad. Stockholm Skavsta Airport in Nyköping, 100 km south of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, has become the southern Stockholm gateway to cheap air travel. Swe-den’s third-largest international airport offers modern facilities that are capable of dealing with large volumes of passengers efficiently and economically.
Once a military airfield, Stockholm
Skavsta is today 91% owned by
a Canadian pension fund, OM-
ERS; the remainder is owned by
Nyköping Municipality. “The own-
ers pursue the common goal to es-
tablish Stockholm Skavsta Airport
as a major Stockholm gateway, us-
ing its capacity to the full,” points
out Mats Rodgerson, Commercial
Director. “We are working together
to meet infrastructural challenges
in the growing Stockholm area.
We consider Stockholm Skavsta
Airport the adequate answer, along
with a high-speed rail link that is
currently under negotiation.” About
3.5 million people live in the area
south of Stockholm today, many of
them ethnic groups with family in
Turkey, the Middle East or North
Africa. “These groups are likely to
travel a lot and provide great po-
tential for new or existing airlines,”
comments Mr. Rodgerson. “The
same applies to the large num-
ber of Swedish citizens working
abroad. The new low-cost airlines
may have even encouraged the
trend towards international work
and travel – a development that
has by no means reached its peak
yet.” Stockholm Skavsta Airport is
strategically located one hour from
the center of Stockholm, 100 km
south of the city, right next to the
main E4 highway. The planned rail
link will incorporate a station within
the airport area. Additionally, there
are various bus connections. “At
present most travellers come by
car or bus,” says the airport’s
Commercial Director. “Our airport
is relatively small, which means
that both long-term and short-
term parking are located close to
the main terminal. At the same
time, our infrastructure is excel-
lent with a 3,000 m runway that
is even suitable for A340 or Boe-
ing 747 aircraft.” Another major
advantage is the company’s fully
comprehensive security schedule,
installed and managed by an ex-
ternal organization. This schedule
is applied 24 hours a day and
provides a safe and secure airport
environment for both the passen-
gers and the airlines. A terminal
building that is capable of handling
three million passengers a year
and designed for further expan-
Stockholm Skavsta Airport has become the pioneering airport of low fares in Scandinavia
An ideal base for tour operators and airlines alike – view of the airport facilities
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Stockholm Skavsta Airport ABGeneral Schybergs plan 22 611 92 Nyköping Sweden
+46 155 280400 +46 155 280426
[email protected] www.skavsta.se
sion completes the impression of a
dynamically developing airport with
great potential. The bright, modern
and efficient terminal welcomes
passengers and visitors with retail
shops, restaurants, a currency
exchange, a business lounge and
a three-star hotel. Online booking
of parking spaces is just one of the
services that add to passengers’
comfort and convenience.
Stockholm Skavsta offers 47 des-
tinations at present, 34 of them by
Ryanair and 13 by Wizz Air. “Ry-
anair established its first Scandina-
vian base here 20 years ago, and
Wizz Air followed suit,” says Mr.
Rodgerson. “We are the pioneering
airport of low fares in Scandinavia
and an ideal base for tour opera-
tors and airlines alike.” He sees
further possibilities in Germany,
Britain and Portugal, where new
destinations are being created.
Flights and landings that gener-
ally take place on time thanks to
the favourable air traffic condi-
tions in southern Sweden, a fast
and flexible service organization,
dependability even in bad weather
and capacities that could easily be
extended from currently 25,000 to
75,000 landings are further assets
that qualify Stockholm Skavsta
Airport as the southern Stockholm
gateway to affordable air travel. ❙
Commercial Director Mats Rodgerson plans to expand busi-ness from 25,000 to 75,000 landings in future
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