New terminal opens at Norway’s Bergen Airport
Norway’s Bergen Flesland Airport has opened a new terminal with capacity for up to 10 million passengers a year.
The increase in capacity at Bergen comes just months after the opening of an expanded airport in Oslo, the country’s capital.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the new NOK3.7 billion ($470 million) facility is important for the wider region around the Norwegian city.
“Flesland plays a vital role in tourism and industry in the region,” he said, adding the airport has doubled in capacity. “This is a state-run flagship project that has run on schedule and within budget.”
The new terminal will give travelers a more spacious environment, with improved facilities. The building is designed to offer significant energy savings.
Airport director Aslak Sverdrup said the improved facilities will hopefully mean “more direct flights to big, important domestic and foreign destinations.”
Among improvements to the airport, sustainable biofuel will now be offered to airlines.
“We are … only the second airport in Norway now making aviation biofuel available to airlines. This is an important step in establishing a market and infrastructure for the production and delivery of biofuel on a large scale,” Sverdrup said.
“Bergen now has a fantastic airport that will take us into the future,” airport operator Avinor CEO Dag Falk-Petersen said.
There are 15 bridge-connected gates: six domestic gates in the new terminal and nine domestic and foreign in the old airport area. The number of aircraft parking stands has risen to 32, including 17 remote stands.
The three-year project has increased terminal space from 22,000 sq m to 85,000 sq m with 28 check-in machines and 28 bag drops, 12 of which are self-service. The terminal’s baggage facility will be able to handle 2,500 cases per hour, more than double the current capacity.
The eight conventional passenger security gates and one employee security gate will be able to process 2,000 passengers an hour, with all gates fully manned.
