The irresponsible decision to shut down Bromma Stockholm Airport in the midst of a pandemic
It has now been confirmed that the Swedish government intends to shut down Bromma Stockholm Airport, without yet having presented a plan on the expansion and development of Arlanda Airport.
In fact, the government hasn't even guaranteed that Arlanda will at all be expanded. This is a rash decision, and the fact that it has been made in 2020, the year of the pandemic, is preposterous.
In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation sector is now facing their greatest challenge to date. And then comes the decision to shut down Bromma airport. It is widely known that the Green Party (Miljöpartiet) don't take kindly to aviation. No news there. But no matter what opinion you might have on the matter, we must agree that it is deeply irresponsible to use the current crisis as an excuse to make this decision.
Regular readers of my blog know that I oppose this shutdown. Our last hope is the Centre Party (Centerpartiet), who have yet to decide on the matter.
This is a rare opportunity for a political party – to have the chance to stand up for a political issue that has been as defining as the Centre Party’s compassion for rural Sweden. It just so happens that this very group that will be hit hardest if the airport will be shut down. So, the real question is whether the Centre Party can stand their ground or not.
As recently as April 27th, municipal commissioner Anders Ågren from the Moderate Party (Moderaterna) wrote an op-ed in Swedish local paper Västerbottens-Kuriren, declaring that this was a rash and unfair decision, seeing as it was founded on the state of the air traffic in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. He continues to express that it is: "deeply irresponsible and a blow to the whole nation which has come to depend on good airport infrastructure back and forth from the capital for work, business and growth."
In his op-ed, Ågren also states that Bromma Airport is a nation-wide concern, which I have also mentioned in previous blog posts.
The whole of Sweden – especially the business sector – is dependent on functional domestic flights and efficient flight connections to and from Stockholm. Bromma is a key complement to Arlanda for cities like Umeå. According to Ågren, a substantial part of the flights back and forth from Umeå Airport go through Bromma.
If you have read my previous blog posts, I'm sure you’re aware that I fully agree with Ågren's view that this decision shows that the government lacks fundamental understanding of the importance of efficient flight connections around the country.
Furthermore, Ågren states that it's remarkable that the government hasn't consulted any politicians or local businesses in Umeå or other parts of the nation, who will be deeply affected by this decision. Supposedly, not even the aviation sector has been consulted. If this is correct, it is a truly catastrophic!
Odds are that the Centre Party will again turn their coats and show that they are not a trustworthy political party.
Before the government decides on shutting down Bromma Airport, there are a lot of us who need guarantees combined with concrete decisions and investments in the Arlanda expansion.
THOMAS STRÖM