Security Queue Chaos Continues At Stockholm Arlanda Airport

Simple Flying

By Linnea Ahlgren

Published Jun 1, 2022

The airport's operator has been asked to explain itself to Parliament, with delays foreseen to continue over the summer.

The Nordic countries are generally frontrunners in sustainability, but flag carrier SAS may have more immediate survival concerns on its hands. Photo: Getty Images

In the last few weeks, reports have been coming in from European airports concerning security queue meltdowns. Scenes at Amsterdam Schiphol, Manchester, London Heathrow, and Dublin Airport have been described as 'chaotic', with lines stretching far outside terminal buildings and thousands of passengers missing their flights.Usually well-oiled enterprises have been far from immune from the post-pandemic staff shortage woes. Stockholm Arlanda has also drawn the ire of travelers, with the airport's operator, Swedavia, having been asked to explain the causes for the queues before Parliament.

Lack of security staff will continue to cause trouble throughout summer

As is the case with airports all over Europe emerging into a post-COVID reality where demand has picked back up quicker than expected and the holiday season is already upon us, the massive queues seen at Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) are due to a shortage of personnel.

Over a week ago, state-owned Swedavia, which manages ten airports across the country, said it had commenced an intense recruitment drive to resolve the delays. However, with those working in airport security needing to go through background checks by the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO), this is not a quick-fix solution.

T4 to reopen mid-June

Swedavia has said it will reopen the domestic Terminal 4, which has been closed during the pandemic, to alleviate some of the pressure from Terminal 5. The date for the T4 reopening has been set for June 15. Terminal 2 was reopened last fall but serves a very limited amount of airlines, especially with Aeroflot out of the picture.

This means that all major passenger terminals will again be operational at the airport for the first time since the start of the pandemic. However, it does not magically resolve the staff shortage issues, and Swedavia has already warned that queues will continue to be much longer than usual throughout the summer months.

Swedavia is set to open a new security area at Arlanda with greater capacity. However, it will not be completed before next year. To top things off, airport workers' unions have threatened to go on strike if the issue is not resolved within the near future. That could cause a situation that would send even the most patient queuing Swede over the edge.

Have you been affected by the security queues at Stockholm Arlanda or any other airport over the past few weeks? How long did you have to wait? Please share your story with the community and us in the comments below.