There are numerous smaller airports in Norway, which are often located in remote regions. Their operation is financially extremely costly and in many cases recovery from the corona pandemic is very slow.

Some airports are now in dire straits as some could be closed for financial reasons. However, the Ministry of Transport is strictly against it and is now trying to cross-finance this through a planned tax. The idea is that those airports that have high passenger volumes should “subsidize” the smaller ones, especially those in remote regions.

However, the large Norwegian airports do not have to spend their own money; instead, this should be passed on to the passengers through a new ticket tax. The income should, among other things, be used to maintain the small regional airports. It is currently assumed that the equivalent of around 17 million euros can be raised. However, it is not yet known whether this sum is enough.

Norway's Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård has already said that if revenue is not enough, the new tax will have to be increased in 2025 and 2026. It should be ensured that a good offer can be obtained throughout the country. The government member is strictly against the closure of regional airports. It is also the opinion that the recovery from the corona pandemic will be slower there, but will occur gradually, similar to Oslo.