Stockholm Arlanda Airport

• 1. Foundation And Early Years

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  King Gustaf VI Adolf presided over the official inauguration ceremony on the 1st of April 1962. The airport had been used for practice flights since 1959 and opened for limited civil traffic in 1960. It was designed from the start to handle intercontinental traffic because the runway at Bromma Airport was too short. Scandinavian Airlines began using Douglas DC-8s on North American routes shortly after opening. Pan American World Airways also started operations very early in the facility's history. The name Arlanda came from a competition held before the airport opened. It derives from Arland, an old name for the parish Ärlinghundra now known as Husby-Ärlinghundra in Märsta. The suffix -a was added to match other Swedish place names ending with -landa. This addition also plays on the Swedish verb landa which means to land. Traffic increased steadily through the 1960s and 1970s with both scheduled and charter services. Boeing 747 jumbojets began operating one-stop flights to New York during the 1970s. Weekend nonstop charters to the Canary Islands also utilized these large aircraft. Domestic flights to Gothenburg Malmö Luleå and Kiruna were operated by SAS DC-9s from Arlanda. These planes were considered too noisy for use at downtown Bromma.

• 2. Terminal Evolution And Expansion

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  In 1983 Linjeflyg moved its domestic traffic from Bromma to what is now Terminal 4. Two new domestic terminals called Domestic 2 and 3 were built south of the first terminal in 1990. Terminal 2 was partly abandoned in 1992 due to decreased passenger traffic. It started handling international traffic the following year while main terminals were renumbered into 4 and 5. A third runway was constructed between 1998 and 2002 but a recession delayed its opening until 2003. Protests arose from residents living under the flight path in Upplands Väsby municipality. Traffic recovered after this period showing healthy increases though the third runway remains used only during peak hours for environmental reasons. The first Airbus A380 superjumbo landed at the airport in September 2010. Swedavia announced plans for further expansions in early 2014 including an additional pier for Terminal 5. The Environmental Court of Appeals approved these plans in December 2014 with construction scheduled for spring 2015. As of 2024 all four terminals numbered 2 through 5 are operational without strict separation of domestic and international flights.

• 3. Pandemic Impact And Recovery

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  Most flights were cancelled in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SAS decided to operate only four domestic departures and four domestic arrivals from Arlanda plus some international flights after the 6th of April 2020. Norwegian Air Shuttle cancelled all flights except those to Oslo. Terminals 2 3 and 4 closed while Terminal 5 handled all passengers between March 2020 and October 2021. Passenger figures dropped by 97.7% in April 2020 compared to April 2019. Numbers picked up later but remained more than 80% lower per month than 2019 levels in early 2021. Passenger figures rose again to near normal levels in spring 2022 causing capacity problems especially at security checks. Most staff had been fired during the pandemic recession requiring time to find approve and educate new personnel. Terminal 4 could not open because transfer required a security check which was already congested. Swedavia built a new pedestrian tunnel between the two terminals bypassing the security area. This tunnel opened together with Terminal 4 at the end of June 2022.

• 4. Infrastructure And Runway Systems

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  Arlanda operates three runways designated as Runway 1 01L/19R Runway 2 08/26 and Runway 3 01R/19L. Runway 1 is long enough to handle take-offs and landings of the heaviest aircraft currently in use. Runways 2 and 3 are also long allowing simultaneous operations under instrument meteorological conditions. Runways 1 and 3 are parallel and can be operated independently of one another. Both are equipped with CAT III systems for instrument landings. The airport can perform simultaneous takeoffs and landings using these two runways simultaneously. A deicing area sits close to runway 3 to avoid long waits between deicing and takeoff in winter conditions. Another deicing area connects with the southern ramp near takeoff positions at runway 01L. High speed taxiway exits exist from all runways except runway 08 enabling quick exit after landing. Use of parallel taxiways around the terminal separates arriving and departing traffic. Arlanda handles all aircraft types including the Airbus A380. Cargo facilities include warehouses operated by Cargo Center DHL Swedish postal service Posten and Spirit Air Cargo. SAS Technical Services maintains large hangars suitable for widebody aircraft up to Boeing 747-400 size.

• 5. Transportation Connectivity

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  The Arlanda Line opened in 1999 connecting Stockholm Arlanda Airport to the East Coast Line via a tunnel beneath the airport. Three separate stations serve the line: Arlanda South Arlanda North and Arlanda Central. The line is privately operated by A-Train AB not owned by Swedavia. The Arlanda Express runs non-stop between Stockholm Central Station and Arlanda South and North stations. Arlanda South Station serves Terminals 2 3 and 4 while Arlanda North Station serves Terminal 5. Long-distance trains connect Arlanda to major cities such as Uppsala Gävle Sundsvall Umeå and Östersund. SJ operates InterCity Regional Nattåg night trains and high-speed Snabbtåg services. Mälartåg provides regional services to Eskilstuna Arboga and Linköping. The Stockholm commuter rail Pendeltåg connects the airport to Stockholm County and Uppsala with travel times of approximately 38 minutes to Stockholm Central and 18 minutes to Uppsala Central. Flixbus and Vy bus4you run long-distance coach services from the main terminal outside Terminal 4. SL operates limited bus routes within Stockholm County including to Märsta railway station. UL buses connect Arlanda to nearby Uppsala County.

• 6. Environmental Sustainability Measures

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  Buildings at Arlanda use district heating with biofuels and district cooling with water from a nearby lake. An innovative system uses wells linked to a large underground aquifer to control air temperature in terminals and hangars. In summer the underground water remains cooler than the surface allowing terminals to cool without extra energy consumption. In winter the underground water stays warmer than the surface and is plumbed to a control unit using biofuel to heat buildings. Water heats cement pads on ramps near large hangar doors keeping them clear of ice efficiently. After passing through the system water returns to the aquifer for reuse. Takeoff charges are partly based on aircraft environmental performance. Arlanda experiments with Continuous Descent Approaches often called green landings. Jet fuel since around 2006 arrives by boat to Gävle then via train to Brista close to Märsta before moving through pipeline. Previously fuel was delivered by ship to Värtahamnen in Stockholm then by trucks through city streets to Arlanda. The airport promotes biofuel use in taxis operating to and from the facility.

• 7. Notable Incidents And Accidents

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  A Linjeflyg Convair 440 registered as SE-BSU crash-landed on the 1st of November 1969 after simulated engine failure caused wing contact with ground. None of four people aboard died but the aircraft was written off. A Spantax Convair 990 registered as EC-BNM crashed while climbing after take-off on the 5th of January 1970 killing five of ten passengers and crew. Five years later on the 14th of July 1973 a Sterling Airways Sud Aviation Caravelle taxied into an obstruction and was damaged beyond repair. On the 25th of January 1974 another Scandinavian Airlines Sud Aviation Caravelle registered as OY-KRA suffered similar damage. An Antonov 24 belonging to Aeroflot hijacked on the 26th of May 1977 surrendered its 23 passengers and crew upon landing in Sweden. Three hijackers took over an Aeroflot Tupolev 154 on the 27th of February 1979 but were overpowered by crew after landing. A Transwede Sud Aviation Caravelle caught fire after hitting runway hard on the 6th of January 1987 though all 27 occupants survived. A Scanair DC-8 charter plane diverted to Arlanda on the 19th of January 1988 due to hydraulic system failure landed safely despite dangerous tilting. Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 crashed shortly after take-off on the 27th of December 1991 when clear ice broke off dual engines killing no one among 129 aboard.