Avinor
Norwegian state-owned operator of civilian airports and air navigation services
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Avinor AS is a Norwegian state-owned company responsible for operating most of Norway's civilian airports and providing the country's air navigation services. It was established on 1 January 2003 through the restructuring and corporatization of Luftfartsverket, the former Norwegian Civil Aviation Administration. The Norwegian state owns all of Avinor's share capital through the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Avinor's principal role is to maintain and operate national aviation infrastructure across a geographically challenging country. Norway's long distances, mountainous terrain, dispersed population and coastal geography make air transport important for regional connectivity. The company operates 44 airports, including major international gateways, regional facilities and airports operated in cooperation with the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Oslo Airport, Gardermoen is its most prominent facility and is operated by the Avinor subsidiary Oslo Lufthavn AS. The company's responsibilities extend beyond airport buildings and passenger services. Avinor provides air traffic control and wider air navigation services in Norwegian-controlled airspace, including through three area control centres located in Bodø, Stavanger and Oslo. Its workforce includes air traffic controllers, airport operations personnel, rescue and emergency staff, maintenance employees, administrators and other specialists. The reference material describes a workforce of approximately 3,000 people. Avinor's operating model combines commercial airport activity with public-service obligations. Larger airports support passenger, airline, retail and property-related activity, while the wider network helps preserve access to remote and regional communities. The company therefore functions both as an infrastructure operator and as an instrument of national transport policy. Its position is distinct from that of a conventional commercial airline: Avinor does not primarily sell air travel, but provides the airports, traffic-management systems and related services on which airlines and passengers depend. The organisation has roots in post-war Norwegian public aviation administration. In 1947, responsibility for civilian airports was transferred from the Ministry of Defence to a new Aviation Directorate under the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The organisation became Luftfartsverket in 1967 and later underwent further structural changes, including the separation of Oslo's airport operations into Oslo Lufthavn AS during the development of Gardermoen. Avinor was created in 2003 as the successor to this public administration. Leadership has included Randi Flesland, Sverre Quale, Dag Falk-Petersen and Abraham Foss. Flesland left the chief executive role in 2005 following a dispute with employees. Quale led the company from 2006 to 2010, Falk-Petersen served from 2011 until 2021, and Foss became chief executive in February 2021. Avinor remains an active, wholly state-owned national aviation infrastructure company headquartered in Oslo.
History
Avinor's institutional history begins with the Norwegian state's post-war effort to establish a dedicated civilian aviation administration. On 1 July 1947, the Ministry of Transport and Communications created the Aviation Directorate to assume responsibility for civilian airports. Before that change, airports, including civilian facilities, had been administered under the Ministry of Defence, with responsibility delegated within the ministry to the Aviation Council. Einar Bøe became the first director and remained in the position until 1964. The organisation was renamed Luftfartsverket in 1967. Over subsequent decades it developed from a government aviation administration into the central operator of Norway's civilian airport system and air navigation infrastructure. Leadership during this period included Erik Willoch, Ove Liavaag and Randi Flesland. The organisation's duties reflected Norway's distinctive transport geography: a national airport network was needed not only for international and domestic commercial traffic, but also for links between remote communities and larger population centres. A significant structural change took place in 1997, when Oslo Airport, Fornebu, and the then-developing Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, were placed in a separate company, Oslo Lufthavn AS. Oslo Lufthavn AS continued to operate Gardermoen, which became Norway's principal airport and Avinor's best-known facility after the later creation of Avinor. On 1 January 2003, Avinor was established as a state-owned limited company through the privatization or corporatization of Luftfartsverket. The change altered the organisation's legal and managerial form without transferring ownership away from the state. The Ministry of Transport and Communications retained control of 100 percent of the share capital. Avinor inherited the responsibility for most of Norway's civilian airports and for air traffic control and other air navigation functions. The company operates 44 airports, with 14 connected in some manner to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, and also runs three area control centres: Bodø, Stavanger and Oslo. These centres form part of the system for managing aircraft movements in Norwegian-controlled airspace. Avinor's activities consequently cover airport operations, air traffic management, rescue, maintenance, administration and associated technical services. The reference material places its workforce at approximately 3,000 employees. The company's executive succession has included several notable transitions. Randi Flesland resigned in December 2005 after an ongoing dispute with employees and was temporarily replaced by Nic. Nilsen. Sverre Quale became chief executive in 2006 after previously leading Norway's Accident Investigation Board. Quale was later succeeded by Dag Falk-Petersen, formerly chief executive of CHC Helicopters. In February 2021, Abraham Foss assumed the chief executive position. Avinor continues to operate as Norway's integrated, state-owned airport and air navigation provider, combining commercial aviation infrastructure with a nationwide public-access role.
- 2021
Abraham Foss becomes chief executive
[1]Abraham Foss assumed leadership of Avinor in February 2021, succeeding Dag Falk-Petersen.
- 2005
Randi Flesland leaves the chief executive role
[1]Flesland resigned in December after an ongoing dispute with employees and was temporarily succeeded by Nic. Nilsen.
- 2003
Avinor established
[1]Avinor was created on 1 January as the state-owned successor to Luftfartsverket.
- 1997
Oslo airport operations separated into Oslo Lufthavn AS
[1]Oslo Airport, Fornebu, and the developing Gardermoen airport were placed in a separate company, Oslo Lufthavn AS.
- 1967
Renamed Luftfartsverket
[1]The aviation administration adopted the name Luftfartsverket as its institutional role in Norwegian civil aviation developed.
- 1947
Creation of the Aviation Directorate
[1]The Ministry of Transport and Communications established a dedicated Aviation Directorate on 1 July 1947 and transferred responsibility for civilian airports from the Ministry of Defence.
Products and positioning
National airport operator and air navigation service provider with a public-service mandate
Infrastructure services · 2003
Airport operations
Avinor operates a nationwide network of 44 civilian airports in Norway. Its airport responsibilities include runway and terminal infrastructure, passenger processing, airside operations, maintenance, rescue functions and related airport services. The network includes major international facilities as well as regional airports supporting communities separated by Norway's geography.
Air traffic management · 2003
Air navigation services
Avinor provides air traffic control and broader air navigation services in Norway. Its infrastructure includes three area control centres in Bodø, Stavanger and Oslo, which manage aircraft movements through Norwegian-controlled airspace and support the safe operation of domestic and international flights.
International airport
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen is Avinor's flagship airport facility and Norway's principal aviation gateway. It is operated by Oslo Lufthavn AS, the separate company created for Oslo airport operations during the development of Gardermoen. The airport serves domestic and international passenger traffic and is the most prominent asset associated with the Avinor network.
Brand decisions
2003
Corporatization of LuftfartsverketStrategyBackground
Norway reorganized its civilian aviation administration after decades of direct public administration under Luftfartsverket.
Action taken
Avinor was established as a state-owned limited company on 1 January 2003, while the Norwegian state retained full ownership through the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Aftermath
The new company became the operator of most Norwegian civilian airports and the provider of national air navigation services.
1997
Separation of Oslo airport operationsStrategyBackground
The development and administration of Oslo's airport facilities led to a separate organisational structure for the capital's airport operations.
Action taken
Oslo Airport, Fornebu, and the then-under-construction Gardermoen airport were merged into Oslo Lufthavn AS.
Aftermath
Oslo Lufthavn AS continued to operate Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, which became the principal airport associated with the later Avinor network.
Recent events
Reported
China Southern Airlines launches Oslo-Shanghai cargo route[2]
China Southern Airlines launched a new direct cargo service between Oslo Airport and Shanghai on August 19, 2026, operating two weekly Boeing 777F freighter flights with about 100 tonnes of capacity per departure and an expected 200 tonnes of Norwegian salmon shipped to China weekly.
Reported
Avinor begins touchless airport experience rollout[3]
Avinor began rolling out a touchless travel experience at Oslo Airport, using technology from Amadeus and ICM. The rollout was planned to continue at three other Norwegian hub airports and ultimately upgrade 17 airports.
Sources3 sources
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