– I do not praise the proposal at all. They want to halve the maximum price on the FOT routes, but do nothing with the rest of the flight routes. They will be just as high here in the north. So I am very dissatisfied with what the government has put forward. That’s what the daily manager at Elle Sofe Company in Hammerfest, Maiken Garder, says. – They only speak politely and use legal language that no one understands. They are not clear on what kind of consequences the new proposal will have overall, says Maiken Garder in Hammerfest. Photo: Sunniva Hadland Bøthun / news From 1 April 2024, the government will halve the maximum price on the so-called FOT routes in Western Norway and Northern Norway. This mainly applies to the flight routes on the short-haul network. It came out during a press conference with Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård and Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum at Gardermoen on Wednesday morning. – A halving of the maximum price on FOT routes will have a great effect for the travellers. And that will help bind the country together better. This will be an important measure for those who live in the districts, Transport Minister Nygård told news during the press conference. Good news for District Norway that we are now halving the most expensive tickets on the FOT routes. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård said this during a press conference at Gardermoen on Wednesday morning. Photo: Astri Husø / news The proposal also states that the government will turn the direct route between Kirkenes and Tromsø into a FOT route. – Will have little effect Maiken Garder from Hammerfest started a Facebook campaign earlier this year against sky-high flight prices in the north. After a short time she had close to 3,000 followers. To put it mildly, Gardar is not impressed by what the government presented today. – They are calling a press conference to give us good news. And then they actually just do what they should have done two years ago. I am not impressed. – Halving the FOT routes is fine. But I am not satisfied until it is just as cheap to fly between the cities in the north as between the cities in the south, she says. – What do you think the government should have done? – They should of course have lowered the commercial flight prices as much as the FOT routes. When we in Finnmark have to fly between north and south, this happens precisely via the commercial routes, she says. – Brilliant day! Member of the transport and communications committee for Troms and Finnmark in the Storting, Geir Iversen (Sp) does not share Garder’s opinion. – A trip from Hasvik to Tromsø, which today costs around NOK 1,200, will with the new proposal cost around NOK 600. Halving flight prices will be a huge boost for the districts, he says. And he adds: – This will mean that more people can afford to travel, which will mean an enormous amount. Especially for us in Finnmark who don’t have many other options, says Iversen. – But why has this taken so long to be introduced? – When we have to change things, it often takes a long time. But now we are in the process of delivering, says Iversen. – A halving of the prices on the FOT routes will have enormously positive effects in Finnmark, believes parliamentary politician for Troms and Finnmark, Geir Iversen (Sp). Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn / news – Better conditions The leader of the Vadsø center party, Stein Mathisen, is also positive. Not least in view of the consequences the proposal may have for business. – We hope that more people will want to establish themselves in the north when the transport of people and materials becomes cheaper. In addition, lower prices for plane tickets will do something with people’s purchasing power, says Mathisen. – What do you think the high flight prices have led to in Finnmark so far? – There has been stagnation. We have all noticed that it has become more expensive to live here. The government’s proposal will mean that we can get more people and more business activity in the area, believes Stein Mathisen. – Lower prices on the FOT routes will increase competitiveness for the companies in the north, believes leader of the Vadsø center party, Stein Mathisen. Photo: EILIF ASLAKSEN / news The fight continues According to the government, the FOT routes will be put out to tender in the spring. Neither Transport Minister Nygård nor Finance Minister Vedum would say what the government must pay for the funding. Unlike Iversen and Mathisen, Gardar fears that the effect of a 50 percent decrease in FOT routes will be minimal. Also on the short-haul network. – Today, Pasiontreiser, Equinor and other major players seize many of the cheap plane tickets. This will naturally affect both the price and availability for the rest of the population, says Garder. – Do you now want to stop the Facebook campaign for cheaper plane tickets? – I see absolutely no reason to do that. The fight continues. I am not satisfied until the tickets on all routes internally in the north, and between north and south, are halved. – It is also far too long to wait until 1 April next year to get cheaper plane tickets in the north. We need lower airfares today – on both the FOT routes and the commercial routes, says Maiken Garder.
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– I am very dissatisfied! – news Troms and Finnmark
