Retail at Oslo Airport is a key driver of Avinor’s commercial income.

Norway’s state-owned airport operator, Avinor, is launching a tender for duty-free contracts at 11 airports with an estimated total value of up to NOK50bn/€4.5bn, and a duration of eight years.

Travel Retail Norway, a joint venture between Gebr. Heinemann and NorgesGruppen, currently operates Avinor’s core retail units. The JV has run the duty-free and travel value shops at Norway’s largest airports since 2005. They include Oslo Gardermoen, Bergen, Stavanger, and Trondheim. TRN’s contract expires in 2027, hence the tender launch now.

Joachim Lupnaav Johnsen, Executive Vice President Commercial Management and Development at Avinor, said: “This is our most important commercial contract. It secures the financing of our aviation network (of 43 airports) across the country and lays the foundation for its further development in the years to come.”

According to the airport operator, its duty-free shops and Travel Value and other shops in the domestic terminals are the largest commercial source of income, accounting for around 25% of the company’s total revenue and around 40% of the commercial revenue. Total operating income in 2025 hit NOK13.9bn/€1.25bn, of which total commercial revenue was around NOK6.6bn/€593m.

Iskra Skram, Vice President Commercial – Terminal at Avinor, added: “Duty-free shops are among the most important reasons why Norway can maintain a nationwide airport network.” Without this income stream, Avinor said it would have to increase fees to airlines.

Largest commercial tender “in many years”

Avinor said this tender round represents “the largest commercial contract opportunity at Nordic airports this decade”. The last time contracts of a similar scale were launched in Norway was in 2021 during the pandemic, when they were valued at about €3bn.

Next year, over 100 of Avinor’s commercial contracts will expire, the biggest being the ones for duty-free stores. The tender includes shops at 11 airports, including Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, and Trondheim, and the new contracts will come into force from 2028.

Avinor said it was looking for partners that can drive innovation, development, and good customer experiences throughout the entire contract period. Skram said: “The right partner is proactive, adaptable, and customer-oriented, and is able to remain relevant despite short trend cycles and a changing passenger mix.”

Norway’s busiest gateway, Oslo Airport, has an annual duty-free turnover of over NOK3.3bn/€297m, while Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger together generate over NOK1.1bn/€99m annually.

In 2025, Avinor’s airports served just over 53 million passengers, up by +3.3%, and it is forecasting around 56 million by the start of the new contract period, driven by strong growth among foreign and younger travellers. “This provides a significant basis for further commercial development,” stated the company.

* All FX conversions at today’s rate.

READ NEXT: Travel Retail Norway introduces bitcoin payments for Click & Collect on arrival

READ NEXT: Heinemann posts strong 2024 results, targeting double-digit growth in 2025