Norway closes Oslo Gardermoen airport as controller strike cancels 150 flights

Five-hour shutdown at Oslo Gardermoen

Norway's primary aviation hub, Oslo Gardermoen, halted all flight operations on Sunday, 23 August, following a coordinated walkout by air traffic controllers. Airport operator Avinor ordered a five-hour total closure of the facility from 06:30 to 11:30, temporarily cutting off scheduled arrivals and departures at the country's largest airport. Avinor announced that the end of the closure window at 11:30 would not restore normal operations, as severe flight delays and additional cancellations will persist throughout the remainder of Sunday. Across the country, the operator confirmed that at least 150 flights are cancelled on Sunday due to the ongoing labor action. Airline carriers serving domestic and European networks face widespread disruption to their timetables as a result of the grounded fleet.

Airline cancellations across Norwegian networks

Commercial carriers operating in Norway altered their flight schedules extensively in response to the Gardermoen shutdown and regional airspace restrictions. Airline carrier Norwegian cancelled 72 flights from its Sunday schedule, grounding both domestic connections and international services, including direct flights linking Norway to Krakow. Scandinavian Airlines, SAS, removed a substantial volume of its scheduled Sunday forenoon departures from flight listings. The airline disruptions affected passengers across multiple Norwegian transit hubs, preventing thousands of travelers from completing scheduled weekend trips. Avinor warned passengers across Norway that disruptions will continue through Sunday night even after runways at Gardermoen resume handling aircraft.

Airspace restrictions and stranded passengers in Bergen

The current travel crisis follows an escalation that began when air traffic controllers initially launched strike action on Friday. On Saturday evening, controllers walked off their posts, prompting aviation authorities to temporarily close the airspace over western Norway to regular commercial air traffic. The sudden Saturday evening airspace shutdown stranded several hundred passengers at Bergen Airport, where travelers were forced to spend the night inside the terminal buildings. Nearby hotels in the Bergen area reached full occupancy, leaving stranded travelers without local accommodation options. Avinor coordinated emergency assistance with the Red Cross, deploying staff to distribute camp beds, blankets, and bottled water to passengers sleeping across the airport floor.

Wage dispute details and rejected salary offer

The industrial action is driven by an unresolved dispute between air traffic controllers and airport management regarding working conditions and base compensation levels. Striking personnel have pointed to work schedules and salary structures as the principal reasons for walking out of air traffic control facilities. During negotiations, the employer presented a settlement proposal offering an average annual wage increase of approximately 62,000 Norwegian kroner, equivalent to about 24,000 Polish zloty. Controller representatives rejected the proposed wage increase, asserting that the financial package failed to resolve their demands. The employer has refused to grant additional union demands, leaving both sides without an agreed framework to end the strike.

Outlook and planned expansion to northern airports

Airport authorities anticipate that flight operations at Oslo Gardermoen and Bergen will begin a gradual recovery process on Monday, 24 August. Despite projected operational improvements at the two main hubs, Avinor indicated that the cascading consequences of Sunday's cancellations, aircraft misplacements, and passenger backlogs will continue to cause travel friction into the new week. The disruption is scheduled to widen further on Tuesday, 25 August, when striking controllers plan to expand their industrial protest to additional regions. From Tuesday onward, the strike action will extend to airport facilities located across central and northern Norway, creating new risks of flight cancellations and timetable adjustments for regional travelers.