The case in summary: A new report on the travelers on Norwegian domestic flights confirms what many have warned about: the government’s district initiative with halved flight prices not only hits the target group, but also foreign tourists who “snap” the cheap tickets ahead of the local population. The Ministry of Transport recognizes the problem, and is investigating the possibility of introducing a separate “resident discount” for travelers who can show the “correct” nationality and/or residential address. It is currently an open question whether the “resident refusal” is in conflict with the EU’s discrimination rules. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. When the government spent NOK 1 billion on halving flight prices in April, the rationale was that Norwegians should have the opportunity to “live in the whole country”. But new figures from the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) show that the discounted prices on the foot routes benefit many foreign tourists. The report shows that up to one in five who travel by plane domestically are from abroad. In several of the most touristic destinations, the battle for cheap tickets has created friction between tourism and permanent residents. – It is the taxpayers who finance these plane tickets, says Moskenes mayor Hanna Sverdrup (H). – Then they should benefit us. Do not finance the holiday trip for foreigners. About the survey The report “Airline travel habits” has been prepared by the Transport Economics Institute (TØI) on order from Avinor. Quote from the report: The number of foreigners on domestic flights continued to increase. 18% of domestic trips are now made by people living abroad. From 2013 to 2023, the number more than doubled, from 1.2 million to 2.5 million trips. The Oslo-Tromsø route had the largest number with 116,000 foreign passengers in 2023, corresponding to 10% of all travelers on the route. Oslo-Svalbard (25%) and Bergen-Tromsø (17%) had the highest share of foreigners in 2023. The Ministry of Transport is investigating whether they can introduce a “resident discount” to prevent foreign tourists coming before permanent residents. Image of Florø airport in Vestland. Photo: Dag Nesbø Frøyen / Firdaposten – Foreign tourists snap up the tickets Aviation expert, Christian Kamhaug, is responsible for the Flypodden podcast. – It went as many of us predicted, he says. – The plane got fuller, and foreign tourists snapped up the tickets. See more reactions to the travel survey below. Coming up with district policy measures is a demanding exercise, and the government is now investigating whether they can introduce a “resident discount” to prevent foreign tourists from pre-empting the permanent residents. Until further notice, it is an open question whether such differential treatment is desirable – or possible. news has been in contact with several people who warn that a “refusal of residence” to travelers with the “correct” address or nationality may be in breach of the EU rules on discrimination. Vilde Bratland Erikstad Hanna Sverdrup, mayor of MoskenesBillettprisen is a good initiative from the government, and I hope they find a solution to treat travelers differently so that it will be possible for us who live here to get a seat, quickly. We just had to move a meeting with the Ministry of Local Government because there were no available plane tickets to travel from or to Lofoten on the date in question. Norwegian Airmen’s Association Jo Bjørn Skatval, deputy head of the Norwegian Airmen’s Association We support the principle of securing flight offers throughout the country, but believe that the current system needs to be adjusted. A model similar to the Spanish one, where subsidized tickets are reserved for permanent residents, could be a solution. This will help to ensure that the scheme fulfills its original purpose, namely to make it possible for people to live and live in the whole of Norway. Unknown Christian Kamhaug, FlypoddenIf the government still wants housing to be built along the coast and that both those who live there and visitors should have enough airplane seats, something must be done about the offer. Not the price. The demand is there, but the production guaranteed by the state in the tender is too complex. Scanpix Steinar Juel, Civita It is not surprising that a general halving of plane ticket prices makes it attractive for everyone to take advantage of it. It is easier to create such an arrangement for those who live in the Canary Islands than for those who live in some municipalities in northern Norway, but since Spain has such an arrangement, I assume that such discrimination is legal according to the EEA rules where the starting point is non-discrimination. WILD BRATLAND ERIKSTAD Jonny Finstad, mayor of VestvågøyTala, tells what we in Lofoten know and feel on our bodies every day. The population, businesses and patients suffered because of a lousy flight offer. The only option is for the state to buy more foot route capacity, and that is urgent. The government must clean up the chaos they themselves have created. Even if it was well-intentioned, the state has a responsibility to adjust what they have created. William Jobling / news Siv Mossleth, parliamentary representative for SpIt is wise to consider “taking a Spanish one”. At the same time, increased activity is also a point, both family and friends from outside, tourists and businesses need good opportunities to travel, also where the short-haul network is the “bus”. The most important thing is that work is now being done to increase opportunities also outside the most central areas. It is good for the whole of Norway. STIAN MICHALSEN Catharina Solli, Widerøe AS It is correct that there is a large increase in holiday and leisure travellers, but we see the biggest increase among the local population. 75 per cent of the growth on tender routes comes as local traffic. After the maximum price was halved on tender routes, many more flights. There are, for example, people from Bodøværing who now prefer to fly to Helgeland instead of driving or taking the train. Marit Sirum-Eikre Hans Jørgen Elnæs, flight analyst and consultant Attractive ticket prices drive up demand, that’s a fact. Therefore, those who are going to buy tickets should plan and book flight tickets longer before the departure date than they are used to. Allan Klo Ministry of Transport The evaluation work that has been initiated must be completed during 2025. Residents’ discount is included as a partial evaluation in this work, which will form a combined report. The report will form part of the further work on the next acquisition of a regional flight route offer and must be seen in connection with the transport specialist analysis which is planned to be carried out ahead of the announcement of the next acquisition. The government is considering “taking a Spanish one” The Ministry of Transport and Communications announces that they will have an answer to the question within the next year, but that it may be relevant to copy “the Spanish model”. In Spain, the state pays for 75 percent of the plane tickets for residents of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, so that the islanders can fly to and from the mainland “without breaking the bank”. – It makes no sense to subsidize tourists, says Steinar Juel, who is a social economist in Civita. He is still uncertain about the delimitation. For the Spanish islands, the demarcation is simple; they are surrounded by sea. Dividing Norway into even more “measure zones” is not as straightforward, and can destroy domestic peace. Juel thinks there may be a repeat of the September debate about which municipalities are “pissed” enough to have student debt written off. – It will be difficult to choose where we will set the limit, he says. – Determining that the scheme benefits those who live in the districts, the Norwegian Aviation Association writes in a statement that there must be clear criteria to determine who is entitled to subsidized tickets: “For example, it can be required that the applicant has been registered in the region for a certain period.” – These new figures confirm our assumption that foreign tourists are taking advantage of the reduced flight prices to a large extent, says deputy head of the Norwegian Aviation Association, Jo Bjørn Skatval. He adds: – It is positive that more people get to experience Norway, but it is crucial that the scheme primarily benefits those who live in the districts. Published 25/10/2024, at 16.27
ttn-69
Foreign tourists snap up the tickets – news Vestland
