The Swedish Civil Aviation Authority (Luftfartsverket) has applied to the Swedish Government to be allowed to sell duty free liquor at Stockholm Arlanda airport, hopefully starting as soon as 1 January 2007. To achieve this

aim they need permission to bypass the rules and regulations governing liquor sales to the public in Sweden. Only the government-owned Systembolaget is currently allowed to sell liquor in Sweden.

?Keep in mind that Arlanda airport is a market of its own. We are not suggesting to interfere with the monopoly?, says Jan Lindqvist at the press department of the Civil Aviation Authority. The CAA is in favour of the move and says it is convinced that travellers would greatly appreciate any new arrangement which would mean that they would not have to carry liquor bottles as hand luggage all through their journeys.

At Arlanda airport the authorities see many benefits from the arrivals liquor store. Revenues would be invested in necessary re-furbishments at the airport, possibly also lowering landing fees and other charges paid by concessionaires, which, in turn, might lead to lower ticket prices for travellers. If the new regime is successfully introduced at Stockholm Arlanda airport, possibly as soon as from 1 January 2007, Gothenburg Landvetter and Malm? Sturup would most certainly follow suit.

As a model the aviation authority is using Iceland and Norway. Iceland has had arrivals shops for more than 40 years. In Norway arrivals shops have been in existence for about a year and this business is already very successful and appreciated by the travellers. When Norway introduced arrival shops about a year ago this badly affected the regular duty free and travel retail business at Arlanda airport operated by The Nuance Group. Nuance is not pushing for new arrival stores. The request is being made by the Civil Aviation Authority in co-operation with the respective airport authority.

Most parties consulted applaud the idea, including SAS. But the charter carriers are for natural reasons negative.

?We will be deprived of some of our income that we have from the onboard sales, when we deliver directly to the seats before departure to an international destination?, says G?ran G?rd?, CEO of Britannia Airways. ?We are very clearly against the idea?.

But at SAS they look more positively on this. References are made to security ? liquor bottles are not good products to bring onboard. SAS sees lower fuel costs and positive environmental benefits ? liquor bottles are heavy.

The pilots association is also positive to the idea. ?We appreciate not having to fly with hundreds of kilos of liquor in the stow-away compartments. Bottles might fall down and there is also a fire hazard?, says SAS Captain Bo S?bb, Chairman of the Swedish Pilots Association.

If the idea is brought to reality ? who stands to benefit? The duty free offer will only be available to travellers arriving from countries outside the EU such as Norway, Asia, Africa and the Americas. But travellers arriving from a EU-country will also be able to buy – but then they will have to pay taxes and duties as on the domestic market.

A few years have passed since Systembolaget closed its sole retail store on the landside at Arlanda airport near Terminal 4. The boarding card slip identifies the traveller to be eligible to buy either duty free or duty-paid. Therefore, a dual pricing plan is being proposed.