The LFV Group – the Swedish State enterprise responsible for airports and air navigation services – has reported total traffic at all of its airports down by 14% to 13.4m, commercial revenues down to SK.1,058m

($150.3m) and profits for the first half of 2009 at just SK.40m ($5.6m) compared with SK.308m ($43.7m) last year.

TREND'S own research also shows that Stockholm Arlanda Airport has been impacted particularly badly, handling a total of 7m international passengers between January and July-end 2009 – some 812,393 less than in the comparative period in 2008.

Turnover during the first half amounted to SK.3,139m ($446m) which was SK.84m ($11.9m) lower than in the same period last year. At the same time, traffic revenue amounted to SK.2,080m ($295.5m) with commercial and other revenues accounting for SK.1,058m ($150.3m) compared with SK.1,129m ($160.4m) in the comparative six months last year.

The LFV Group reduced its airport charges on March 1 this year and this temporary discount is aimed at reducing airlines' costs by approximately SK.40m ($5.6m) during 2009. LFV has also invested SK.25m ($3.5m) on marketing activities.

LFV Group Director General Lars Rekke said: ‘Within the financial framework we are doing what we can to stimulate the market and support the industry during this difficult time. This is a considerable reduction in surplus but thanks to continual improvement in operations we are coping reasonably well with what is one of the worst crises to affect air travel in the last decades.’

He added that the prognosis for this year – taking into account an expected drop of 10% in travel – is a profit of SK.50m ($7.1m).

In a statement, airport management added: ‘During the first half of 2009 a number of important steps have been taken towards improving efficiency and thus more environmentally friendly air travel. EU is at present going towards better usage of European airspace which in the long term will lead to a reduction in fuel and a halving of costs.

‘An agreement has been reached between Sweden and Denmark involving a joint air navigation service and Sweden continues to work towards providing airlines with shorter flight routes.’