– Nothing has been decided – NRK

Dag Falk-Petersen was in Bodø today to open the world’s largest remote-controlled tower center.

An anniversary and undoubtedly a long-awaited rebound for an Avinor in the midst of the economic crisis as a result of the pandemic.

– He’s tight for money. We will lose 7-8 billion this year, it is such a large amount that I did not think it was possible, Falk-Petersen tells NRK.

The loss of money means that all projects are now reviewed again. Also the billion-dollar project in Bodø.

The airport project, which will result in a new airport and a completely new green district, will cost NOK 5.7 billion. This could make it the most expensive land development in northern Norway.

Under the plan, the funding will be split between the state, Avinor and the Bodø municipality.

– Until now, we keep progress on the new airport here in Bodø, but now suddenly there are more people in that field. In fact, it is now our owner, that is, the state, who is involved in that decision to a greater extent than before, says the head of Avinor.

Must get money from the state

Avinor is normally self-financed through the duty-free regime and a number of other fees. But due to the pandemic, Avinor is now dependent on money from the state budget.

This means that the state decides to a greater extent which projects should be carried out and which ones should not.

Falk-Petersen says he hopes and thinks everything is going according to plan in Bodø, but:

– Nothing has been decided.

– What do you put on it?

– We have been commissioned to plan a license application for the new airport, and it is not far from being delivered. But the decision to build is taken by the government and has not been taken. We do not know what is happening in the government facilities. Being within the state budget is a new situation for us.

Also present in Bodø was Secretary of State Ingvild Ofte Arntsen (KrF) in the Ministry of Transport.

He did not directly answer questions about Bodø, but stressed that the ministry is concerned about taking care of Avinor in the situation they ended up in.

– We are closely monitoring the situation and assessing the future need for Avinor to continue with everything it is doing.

Bodø Mayor Ida Pinnerød (Labor Party) says she is happy that the ministry is following Avinor. When it comes to “new city – new airport” progress, she says she is no longer nervous.

– There are many things you can get nervous about in these crown times, but just when it comes to the airport, I trust that the state will assume its responsibility and make the necessary investments.

Pinnerød says that all the signs from the ministry so far make her confident that the project will be completed.

– We have an airstrip that is about to disintegrate and we have a large urban development project that we depend on to maintain good commercial development in the north. I have a clear expectation that the state will find solutions for Avinor.

Secretary of State Ofte Arntzen emphasizes to NRK that Pinnerød doesn’t need to be nervous either.

– We are very concerned that Avinor will be insured in the future. We follow Avinor closely and analyze what kind of measures are needed in the future.