Avinor Executive Vice President Anders Kirsebom has confirmed plans to open the new New Mo I Rana/Helgeland Arctic Circle Airport on 30 September 2027.
Initially believed to be delayed for up to a year following a number of challenges which threatened the project’s overall progress, the airport’s opening has been brought forward by nine months.
Executive Vice President for Regional Airports, Anders Kirsebom, said:All good forces have worked purposefully and hard to make up for as much of the delay as possible, and we believe that we have succeeded a very good part of the way.
We have managed to make up for a lot, but not all of the delay that comes as a result of the airport being built larger and that we encountered extensive challenges with the settlement conditions in Fagerlia.
Avinor is set to take control of the site from contractors AF Gruppen on 19 February 2027 – by which point the airport is expected to be technically complete. After this, Avinor will begin the operational readiness and transition (ORAT) process and, provided internal deadlines are met, take full responsibility of the airport and move toward its official open date.
This will include certification of the airport both for design and operation, establishment of operating concepts, procedures and emergency preparedness, fire and rescue, building up the operating organisation, education and training of employees, including operations and security, and conducting of extensive tests.
Meanwhile, management and organisation of air traffic will undergo similar certification processes. With the new airport utilising a digital tower, this must be fully operational by the time the site itself opens – which also forms part of the assessment basis for the timing of the closure of the airport at Røssvoll.
Testing of the digital tower will begin in mid-February 2027, and is expected to last until the opening date in September – around seven months.
Avinor has stated that it plans to handle both current traffic volume from Røssvoll and new traffic with larger aircraft from the date the new airport opens.
