Oslo Airport may be closed Friday

Oslo Airport .Photo:Avinor

Negotiations between NHO Service and Parat have broken down, and if arbitration is unsuccessful, the result will be a strike at Oslo Airport starting from 06:00 hours on Friday, 10 June. If the strike materialises, Oslo Airport will be shut down for all departing passengers effective from 06:00 hours on Friday, 10 June.

Notices of collective work stoppage have been received, and 531 employees/security guards from Nokas Aviation could potentially be taken out on strike. These personnel play key roles in both the security check, baggage facility and other entry points at Oslo Airport.

First round of work stoppage and consequence
A notice has already been issued regarding the first round of strikers, in which trade union Parat has taken out 250 security guards at Oslo Airport, 170 of whom work in the security check.

Based on this first wave, 170 fewer employees in the security check will entail very significant capacity reductions of up to 70 per cent for parts of the day. We expect very high traffic levels on Friday, 10 June – among the highest ever recorded at Oslo airport. A total of 42,200 departing passengers will be subject to the security inspection on this day alone.

Will have to shut down the departures hall
“With the extreme capacity reduction we are facing, the departures hall will quickly fill up, thus causing considerable security challenges. Our experience indicates that situations with such large crowds of people can be quite trying for some passengers, and we do not want a situation where we put travellers at risk. Therefore, if there is a strike, we will shut down completely for departing passengers,” says head of communications at Oslo Airport, Joachim Westher Andersen.

Arriving traffic will proceed as normal
Passengers arriving at Oslo Airport who have Oslo as their final destination will not be affected by a potential strike. However, you may be affected if you have a connecting flight.

Consequences for other airports
A shutdown at Oslo Airport will have major consequence for Norwegian aviation, and cancellations and substantial delays must be expected. Possible strikes have also been reported at several of Avinor’s other airports – to varying degrees. Delays and consequences for travellers are also expected in these other locations.

Travellers should stay in touch with their airline
Travellers scheduled to fly from Oslo Airport are requested to stay aware of potential changes on the part of the airline they are flying with.

“The airline will communicate directly with passengers in the event of changes in the individual flight schedules,” Andersen concludes.

Oslo Airport will remain open for other traffic that concerns health and safety preparedness, post and freight and other traffic that does not involve travellers that use the security check in the departures hall.

 

Source: Avinor / Norway Today