Capacity - Sweden

PRB monitoring

▪ Sweden registered 0.01 minutes of average en route ATFM delay per flight during 2023, thus achieving the local target value of 0.08. Delays in Sweden decreased by 0.03 minutes per flight year-on-year.

▪ Delays were highest in July, mainly due to adverse weather conditions.

▪ The share of delayed flights with delays longer than 15 minutes in Sweden increased by 0.1 percentage point compared to 2022 and was lower than 2019 values.

▪ The average number of IFR movements was 25% below 2019 levels in Sweden in 2023.

▪ The number of ATCOs in OPS is expected to increase by 5% by 2024, with the actual value being below the 2023 plan in Malmo by 11. The number of ATCOs in OPS is expected to increase by 8% by 2024, with the actual value being below the 2023 plan in Stockholm by 12 FTEs.

▪ The yearly total of sector opening hours in Stockholm ACC was 30,311, showing a 4% increase compared to 2022. Sector opening hours are 31.5% below 2019 levels. The yearly total of sector opening hours in Malmo ACC was 55,333, showing an 5.3% increase compared to 2022. Sector opening hours are 3.7% below 2019 levels.

▪ Malmo ACC registered 8.08 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2023, being 19.7% below 2019 levels. Stockholm ACC registered 10.09 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2023, being 8.8% above 2019 levels.

▪ Sweden registered an average airport arrival ATFM delay of 0.30 minutes per flight in 2023, thus not achieving the local target of 0.15 minutes.

▪ Compared to 2022, average arrival ATFM delays in Sweden were 238% higher in 2023, while the number of IFR arrivals increased by 11%.

▪ The main reason for delays was weather, accounting for 95% of delays, and other causes, responsible for 5%.

En route performance

En route ATFM delay (KPI#1)

Summary of capacity performance

NSA’s assessment of capacity performance

From an operational point of view the war in Ukraine had of course continued to impact where Sweden lost a lot of the overflights. This is now a structural problem and posses great challenges in the upcoming performance planning of RP4.

Capacity has not constituted a problem. ANSPs has adapted the new flight patterns in a very efficient manner.

Monitoring process for capacity performance

SE NSA monitors through the yearly AMR process, and through the ANS performance portal. In depth analysis are carried out when considered relevant, and especially in the process of Reference period planning.

Capacity planning

Capacity planning is well in line with the need. Recall that traffic is approx 10 percent lower than plan.

Application of Corrective Measures for Capacity (if applicable)

There is less overflying traffic in general but new patternas and more overflying traffic in southeast Baltic due to Kalniningrad closure.

There were certain capacity issues related to new traffic patterns, but no impact on Sweden’d ability to meet the targets.

Staffing plans needed+A122 to be adapted to new patterns

Additional Information Related to Russia’s War of Aggression Against Ukraine

Sweden experienced an increase in traffic from 585k flights in 2022, with 22k minutes of en route ATFM delay, to 636k flights in 2023 with just 7k minutes of en route ATFM delay.

For reference, in 2019, Sweden handled 831k flights with 35k minutes of en route ATFM delays.

En route Capacity Incentive Scheme

LFV: With an actual capacity performance of 0.01 minutes per flight, against a target of 0.08, Sweden reposrts that the ANSP is due a bonus of 17,180,000 SEK
In accordance with Article 3(3)(a) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1627: The incentive scheme shall cover only the calendar years 2022 to 2024.

Other indicators

1 ATCO student less than planned passed the OJT (On the Job Training) - 8 ATCOs resigned.

Terminal performance

Arrival ATFM delay (KPI#2)

Sweden only has Stockholm (ESSA) airport subject to RP3 monitoring for which the APDF is successfully established and the monitoring of the capacity indicators can be performed.
Traffic at this airport in 2023 was still 19% lower than the 2019 levels, but showed an increase of 11% with respect to 2022.

Average arrival ATFM delay in 2023 was 0.30 min/arr, slightly higher compared to 0.09 min/arr in 2022. The national target was not met.
ATFM slot adherence remained very high at almost 98% (2023: 97.8%; 2022: 97.8%).

Average arrival ATFM delay at Stockholm in 2023 were higher than in 2022 (ESSA: 2022: 0.09 min/arr; 2023: 0.30 min/arr)
95% of these delays were attributed to Weather and 5% to Aerodrome Capacity.
According to the Swedish monitoring report, there were no delays caused by ATC during 2023, the delays were caused by adverse weather conditions.
The risk of weather related capacity constraints are present also for 2024.
The NSA has no in-depth analysis to provide. The NSA is aware that weather incidents have on several occasions led to severe issues. This has to be taken into consideration when applying incentive schemes for RP4.

The Swedish performance plan sets a national target on arrival ATFM delay for 2023 of 0.15 min/arr. This target was not met with an actual performance of 0.30 min/arr.
The NSA calculates a penalty of SEK 4 113.

Other terminal performance indicators (PI#1-3)

Airport level
Airport name
Avg arrival ATFM delay (KPI#2)
Slot adherence (PI#1)
ATC pre departure delay (PI#2)
All causes pre departure delay (PI#3)
2020 2021 2022 2023 2020 2021 2022 2023 2020 2021 2022 2023 2020 2021 2022 2023
Stockholm/Arlanda 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.30 98.2% 97.9% 97.8% 97.8% 0.06 0.13 0.13 0.12 8.3 11.5 15.1 14.7

ATFM slot adherence

Stockholm’s ATFM slot compliance in 2023 was 97.8%, same as in 2022. With regard to the 2.2% of flights that did not adhere, 0.7% was early and 1.5% was late.

ATC pre-departure delay

The calculation of the ATC pre-departure delay is based on the data provided by the airport operators through the Airport Operator Data Flow (APDF) which is properly implemented at Stockholm.
The annual value in did not changed much with respect to previous years but it is higher than before the pandemic (ESSA: 2019: 0.09 min/dep; 2021: 0.13 min/dep; 2022: 0.13 min/dep; 2023: 0.12 min/dep)

All causes pre-departure delay

The total (all causes) delay in the actual off block time at Sweden decreased slightly in 2023 (ESSA: 2020: 8.34 min/dep.; 2021: 11.48 min/dep.; 2022: 15.14 min/dep.; 2023: 14.65 min/dep.)
According to the Swedish monitoring report: The delays were mainly caused by adverse weather conditions.