The case in summary Widerøe wants to introduce new regional flight routes, but meets resistance in several municipalities in Finnmark. Finnmark county council is considering scrapping the entire proposal. The government will not allocate more money for a better route offer in Finnmark. In Widerøe’s proposal, several municipalities have reduced route services, including Hasvik and Vardø. Widerøe believes they do not have time for a new consultation round and that today’s proposal will most likely be implemented. The county mayor of Finnmark, Hans-Jacob Bønå, believes it will be a disaster for the whole of Finnmark if Widerøe’s proposal is implemented. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – The government is adamant that they will not allocate more money for a better route offer in Finnmark. And Widerøe says today’s proposal will stand. – We will soon have no choice but to scrap the entire proposal. So says Hans-Jacob Bønå (H), county mayor in Finnmark. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn / news Widerøe’s proposal to change the so-called FOT routes has met with massive opposition in several places in Finnmark. In the latest draft, Hasvik will have its route offer reduced by 35 per cent, while Vardø will have 50 per cent fewer departures. Vadsø loses the direct route to Tromsø, while Alta gets a weakened route offer in the proposal. The FOT routes in Finnmark: After negotiations with the Ministry of Transport, Widerøe received the contract for the so-called FOT routes in Norway this autumn. The Ministry of Transport increased the limits from NOK 940 million per day in the current contract, to NOK 2.35 billion per day in the new contract, which effective 1 April 2024 Widerøe met Finnmark county council in December for talks about the new route offer After the meeting with the county council, the airline drew up a proposal to change the route offer which was sent out for consultation After the consultation round, a new proposal was sent out – proposal 2 – which is in force proposal Both proposals from Widerøe have met massive resistance in several municipalities – Will not give more money In the contract with Widerøe, the ministry increased the financial framework by 150 per cent – from around NOK 940 million to NOK 2.35 billion annually. In return, they demand more flights and lower ticket prices. It will therefore not be relevant to give more money to Widerøe. So says Bent-Joacim Bentzen, State Secretary in the Ministry of Transport. – We don’t have an infinite amount of money in the state either. The government has chosen to prioritize lower prices on the FOT routes. And then we want the best possible offer within the given framework. That means the current level or better, says Bentzen. And he adds: – We are willing to look at adjustments in the route offer. But then it must emerge from the dialogue between operators and local actors. MUST DELIVER: – We want the best possible offer within the framework given in the contract, says State Secretary Bent-Joacim Bentzen. Photo: Asgeir Spange Brekke, FD No common front County mayor Hans-Jacob Bønå wanted the four northernmost counties to stand together in a common front against the route proposals. But it won’t be like that. – Troms has notified that they are not involved, and we are still waiting for feedback from Trøndelag. This means that only Nordland and Finnmark stand on the barricades for another route offer. – The FOT route offer that is now being put on the table is perceived by everyone in Finnmark and Nordland as useless. Since Troms has refused and with Trøndelag still on the fence, Bønå’s demand is not as forceful as he might have wished. – It is obvious that if you collect the coast from East Finnmark all the way down to Trøndelag, it would have had more impact. – But it is the case that Troms does not want to be involved, so we other county councils must stand firm in our positions, says Bønå. – Having a bad time Widerøe, on the other hand, blames the krone exchange rate and poorer earnings – as a result of a halving of the maximum price on FOT routes – when they ask for more money for an increase in route production. The airline now says that they do not have time to run another long consultation round if they are to meet the deadline of 1 April. In all likelihood, therefore, today’s proposal will be implemented. That’s what commercial director in Widerøe, Christian Skaug, says. – The timetable is in overtime. So we hope that the Ministry of Transport will approve the proposal we have now submitted so that we can press the button and put the tickets on sale, says Skaug. HAS BAD TIME: – We don’t have time for another long consultation round about the FOT routes, and therefore hope that the ministry will approve the proposal we have now submitted, says commercial director in Widerøe, Christian Skaug. Photo: Widerøe AS He has a great understanding that there is a lot of focus now on what individual municipalities lose from flights. But as he says: – We do our best to fly within the cost space we have and try to have the best possible dialogue with the municipalities and the county council, says Skaug. – If it is not stopped, Skaug does not envisage that more money will come in which will lead to an improvement in capacity. But should the Ministry of Transport wish to buy more capacity, it is in the contract that they can do so, he says. Regarding the signals from Finnmark County Council that they want to scrap the agreement, State Secretary Betnzen replies: – I register that Finnmark County Council is considering this. It came out in today’s meeting. Now, however, it is about having a dialogue to adapt to local conditions. I understand that this can be a demanding step, he says. Regarding the agreement, the state secretary says: – We cannot scrap the agreement. This is because the contracts have already been signed with the operators. But we want to look at local adaptations, he says. However, the county mayor of Finnmark, Hans-Jacob Bønå, is in no doubt about what signal they want to send. – If Widerøe’s proposal for new flight routes is implemented, it will be a disaster for the whole of Finnmark, he says.
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Joint opposition in Northern Norway against the FOT routes of the airline Widerøe – news Troms and Finnmark
