This is what one of the concept sketches looks like for a new terminal at Skellefteå Airport. Passengers stay on the ground level while visitors can go upstairs and watch the departures.
In 2017/2018, Skellefteå Airport had over 400,000 annual travelers and the congestion was sometimes noticeable.
A pre-study report for a new terminal at Skellefteå Airport has been released based on an investigation conducted by the Swedish Transport Administration in October 2021, looking at airports in Kiruna, Gällivare, Luleå, and Skellefteå.
The analysis was part of a government mission to assess the infrastructure in the Västerbotten and Norrbotten regions in relation to major industrial projects, with a focus on assessing terminal capacity and forecasting traffic development.
The current terminal building has been in place since its establishment in 1961 and has undergone several renovations, covering 3,950 square meters, with 1,120 square meters allocated to passenger areas in the arrival and departure halls. The new proposal would more than double the space.
"The airport's terminal area may potentially reach a certain capacity limit related to security checks, passport control, and check-in when the resumption of air traffic begins after 2022 and air traffic increases in line with the increased commuting linked to major industrial establishments," wrote the Swedish Transport Administration, citing a forecast of 563,000 passengers by 2035.
The assessment also suggested that additional capacity for aircraft parking may be needed.
The summary was: "Terminal capacity is satisfactory in Luleå, while in Kiruna and especially Skellefteå airport, there may be capacity constraints with queues and difficulties when handling two larger aircraft simultaneously."
Skellefteå Airport has been one of the airports at the forefront of developing electric or hydrogen-powered aircraft and drone transportation.
If Norwegian Air re-establishes itself at Skellefteå Airport, airport manager Robert Lindberg's assessment is that Skellefteå Airport will quickly be up to the same passenger levels as in the record years 2017/2018.
When air travel restarted in February 2022 without major pandemic restrictions, the forecast was for 205,000 passengers that year at Skellefteå Airport.
– But by the end of the year, the airport had the country's fastest return to pre-pandemic figures, reaching over 260,000 passengers, says Robert Lindberg.
The airport's management, board, and owner Skellefteå Municipality, deemed it necessary to seek a solution for future travelers. As a result, an internal municipal pre-study has been conducted based on the areas recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is also the basis for White Arkitekter's sketches of the new terminal.
Robert Lindberg emphasizes that it is still a vision document. There is also the question of ownership as a government investigation recently suggested that Skellefteå should "immediately" be incorporated into state-owned Swedavia. That question is now out for referral.
In the future plans, four larger planes should be parked at Skellefteå Airport at the same time. Departing and arriving passengers would assemble at the gates.
The goal is to have four gates, one of which will handle traffic from outside the Schengen Area, Europe's border-free zone.
The sketches suggest that there will be room for a Dreamliner-sized plane. Arriving and departing passengers will meet at the gate, as they do at airports such as Arlanda.
Another artist's impression of the new terminal.
External consultants are currently conducting a review of the preliminary study with potential proposed modifications, which are expected to be completed by spring.
–If the consultants agree with our assessment, then it is crucial that planning for a new terminal commences to avoid any hindrance to regional growth. Dialogue with the state must also be initiated, but this is an ownership matter, explains Lindberg.
– We firmly believe that a new terminal is necessary to accommodate the growing number of travelers to the region. It would be fantastic if it could be completed in time for Expo 2026 in Skellefteå. I am an optimist by nature."
"It would be great if the new terminal could be ready for Expo 2026 in Skellefteå. I was born an optimist," says Robert Lindberg, CEO of Skellefteå Airport.