North Pier open for domestic traffic

Thursday 13 October at 12:32, the first passenger plane arrived at North Pier, gate C7. Arriving from Tromsø, Norwegian flight DY375 had the honour of being the first to operate the new pier. SAS flight SK359 from Trondheim landed at 13:30.

“We are proud and excited to open parts of North Pier to the public and finally be able to show off the building,” says director of T2 operation, Thorgeir Landevaag, speaking about this historic event. 

North Pier will be in experimental operation until December, servicing only certain domestic flight for the time being. Most of the flights that are now reallocated to the new pier would normally depart from and arrive at South Pier.

“Use of the facility will be gradually expanded. We are planning to have the entire North Pier open for traffic in early December,” Landevaag continues.

Eleven new gates

Once North Pier is fully open for traffic in December, it will consist of eleven gates – nine of which can be used for both domestic and international traffic.

“We will keep all domestic traffic on the top floor of North Pier, whereas international traffic will be on the floor below. This means that a flight from Trondheim can park at the gate, let passengers off and accommodate new passengers who are flying on to an international destination,” Landevaag explains.

Follow the signs – switch off your auto pilot

The opening of North Pier is the second major part of the expansion opening to the public. The new baggage hall for domestic arrivals opened on 1 September, as did the new duty-free shop for international arrivals. The area surrounding the train station has also been altered. This means passengers will have several new areas to get acquainted with.

The airport will be nearly twice the size, and today's opening of North Pier means passengers need to pay attention to the signs and not just go by their auto pilot," Landevaag says.

Flights as normal

“Flights will run as normal, so we simply ask that people pay extra attention to the signs and information from the airlines. They can also download the Oslo Airport guide, EarlyBird, to make sure they have access to updated and accurate travel information,” he adds.

The opening of the new North Pier for trial operation is an important step in the overall opening of the new Oslo Airport. The new airport will open in increments towards the official opening, which is 27 April, 2017.

“This is done to ensure solid, stable operation once doors are officially opened. That's the most important thing to us,” Landevaag concludes.

Fact box – North Pier:

New gates: 9 flexigates domestic/international (Schengen) + 2 international gates (Schengen) = 20 new gates

• Naming of gates: C1–C9 domestic, D1–D11 international
• Capacity: approx. 1 million passengers per year per flexigate
• Area: 63,000 m²
• Width: 40 metres international and 30 metres domestic (upper level)
• Length: 300 metres