Dala Airport

History

The airfield was built during the 2nd World War and was modernized in 1961. In mid 1960 the first civilian airlines arrived at Dala Airport. 1972 saw the new terminal building finished and Dala Airport AB took over the airport. The airfield was owned by the Swedish military until 2007. The all-time-high number of passengers was 210.000 in 1989. In 2006 there was about 33.000 passengers, declining from previous year.

Reasons for the decline include the deregulation of air traffic 1992. Before that SAS/Linjeflyg had monopoly on domestic flights and ticket prices were based on distance. After 1992 there was free competition and airlines could choose where to fly. The government paid the lowest bidder to fly unprofitable lines, which caused higher ticket prices. Another reason is faster trains (not much faster) to Stockholm (the most important connection), which also stopped at Arlanda from year 1999. Many passengers Borlänge-Arlanda continue on other flights, and the train is a good alternative from Borlänge. The road to Stockholm has been improved but not much. Higher cost awareness among companies has contributed also.

The 166 km (by air) long Stockholm route was closed down in June 2011, reopened a short period September 2013-April 2014. In 2006 charter flights started to international tourist destinations. From 2012 international routes have more passengers than domestic.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter services to and from Dala Airport:

Ground transportation

Bus 1 with Dalatrafiken takes you to downtown Borlänge. There is parking at the airport as well. One is free and is unlocked during the nights. The other one is locked during the nights and costs 25 SEK/night.