Hundreds of passengers spent the night at Bergen Airport after an air traffic controllers’ strike triggered severe disruption across western Norway, with Avinor warning of significant consequences for flight operations. The labour action began on Friday after talks failed, forcing restrictions and temporary closures in airspace over Bergen and parts of western Norway and causing delays and cancellations at Bergen and Oslo.
The disruption affected services at Bergen Airport, Flesland, and also hit Stavanger as the system came under escalating pressure. Avinor’s latest update indicated the strike initially involved 12 controllers, with more due to join from 25 August. That raised the risk of wider knock-on effects across the country’s tightly linked air traffic network.
Overnight accounts from Bergen put the number of stranded travellers at roughly 300 to 400 after hotel capacity filled up, although exact figures have not been officially confirmed. The situation remained fluid on Saturday, with delays expected to worsen through the day and into the evening as traffic management restrictions continued.