Travel to the US might get easier

Oslo Airport has been selected as one of ten airports globally to be given the opportunity to establish a US preclearance facility.

On Friday evening Norwegian time, it was announced that Oslo Airport has been selected as one of ten airports globally to be included in a project headed by US Customs and Border Protection. The purpose is to explore the possibility of establishing a US preclearance facility at Norway's main airport.

“We are delighted to be one of ten airports to join this project. We are now looking forward to seeing if we become an airport with US preclearance status,” says Øyvind Hasaas, managing director of Oslo Airport.

With US preclearance, passengers clear US customs and passport control at the departure airport before boarding a direct flight to the United States. This means that passengers land in the US as domestic passengers and do not have to spend time in immigration and customs inspection on arrival.

“Today, this process can be experienced as quite time-consuming,” says Hasaas.

Fifteen airports in the world currently have this status. Shannon Airport and Dublin Airport in Ireland are the only two in Europe. Abu Dhabi also has this status, and the remaining 12 airports are located in Canada and the Caribbean.

“This is a very exciting project that could allow us to make the journey from Oslo Airport to the US easier for passengers. We look forward to the road ahead and are eagerly awaiting the outcome,” Hasaas concludes.

It is currently not clear when the system could potentially be in place at Oslo Airport.