Winter tourism leaves its mark on air traffic in January: – Experiencing strong growth

11 Feb 2026 14:00 CET

3.6 million passengers traveled through Avinor's airports in January. This is an
increase of 3 percent compared to the same month last year. The growth is partly
due to an increase in international travelers.

In January, over 1.4 million international passengers traveled through Avinor's
airports. This is an increase of 6 percent compared to January last year. The
figures show that the trend we have seen in recent years, with increasing winter
tourism to Norway, continues into 2026.

– The year begins with an increase in total air traffic, and it is international
traffic that has contributed significantly to the development in January. The
northernmost airports contribute the most overall, and Norway as a winter
destination is experiencing strong growth, says Gaute Skallerud Riise, VP
Traffic Development at Avinor.

The choice of destinations shows that something has changed in the market
recently.

– We are seeing that more parts of the country are beginning to take clearer
positions in this market and are preparing for development in international
winter tourism, says Skallerud Riise.

Domestic traffic remains the largest. In January, it increased by 1 percent,
with a total of 2.1 million domestic travelers. In total, 3.6 million passengers
traveled through Avinor's airports in the first month of the year.
Flight movements When it comes to flight movements, 47,778 commercial flight
movements were registered in the first month of the year. This is an increase of
1 percent compared to January 2025.

– We are seeing a greater increase in the number of passengers than in the
number of flight movements. This indicates that the aircraft operating at our
airports continue the trend of having more passengers on board each flight.

Increase in drone activity
In January 1,742 drone flights were registered.

– We are seeing a significant increase in the number of drone plans, with a 20
percent increase in January compared to the same month last year. However, there
are still fewer registered drone flights than during the summer months. This is
because the weather in January leads to lower drone activity, says Mats Gjertsen
Bye, Head of Avinor's Drone Program.

Gjertsen Bye says it is positive that more people are engaging in responsible
drone use and choosing to fly in a safe and visible manner.

Key figures for January 2026:
3.6 million passengers (+3% from January 2025)•
2.1 million domestic (+1%)
1.4 million international (+6%)
47,778 flight movements (+1%)
1,742 drone flights (+20%)

Link to statistics:
https://om.avinor.no/en/about-us/traffic-statistics/

More information:
Access the news on Oslo Bors NewsWeb site

665411_Avinor Monthly Traffic Figures - January 2026.pdf