Säve Airport facts for kids
SAVE, the airport in Argentina, see Esquel Airport.Quick facts for kids
Säve Airport
Säve flygplats
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Private | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Serneke | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Säve, Gothenburg, Sweden | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 18 m / 59 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 57°46′32″N 011°52′14″E / 57.77556°N 11.87056°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | goteborgcityairport.se | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
 GSE
Location in Västra Götaland
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| Runway | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2012) | |||||||||||||||
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Source: Swedish AIP at EUROCONTROL
Statistics: Swedish Transport Agency |
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Säve Airport (Säve flygplats) was once known as Göteborg City Airport (GSE/ESGP). It is an airport located about 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) northwest of Gothenburg, Sweden. It is near Säve on the island of Hisingen.
For many years, it was Gothenburg's second international airport. It had international flights from 2001 to 2015. Besides regular flights, the airport was also used by rescue services, like the Swedish Coast Guard.
The airport stopped airline traffic on January 18, 2015. This happened because the runway was damaged by heavy planes, and repairs were too expensive. However, it is still open for smaller, light aircraft.
Contents
About Säve Airport
Even though it was mainly for low-cost airlines, Säve Airport is actually closer to Gothenburg city center than the main Göteborg Landvetter Airport. Both airports take about the same time to reach by car.
Göteborg City Airport could handle planes as big as a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320. Today, the airport is still used for general aviation. This includes two flying clubs, Aeroklubben i Göteborg and Chalmers flygklubb.
The Airport's Story
How it Started
Building the airport began in 1940. It was first a military airbase for the Swedish Air Force. The military airbase closed in 1969.
The old civil airport at Torslanda closed in 1977. After that, regular flights moved to Landvetter Airport. However, activities with smaller planes (general aviation) moved to Säve. In 1984, the runway was made better and longer. This allowed bigger business jets to use the airport.
In 2001, the airport was renamed City Airport. That year, Ryanair started flying regular flights to London from here. Before Ryanair arrived in 2001, only about 9,000 passengers used the airport each year. By 2008, this number grew to 844,000 passengers!
In 2004, the Swedish Armed Forces completely left the airport. Today, a museum called Aeroseum is located there. It shows different fighter jets and tells the story of military aircraft.
Why Airline Service Stopped
On November 26, 2014, the airport had to stop all heavier aircraft, like the Boeing 737. This was because the taxiway (the path planes use to get to the runway) was not strong enough for them. This meant that all flights by Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Gotlandsflyg had to go to Landvetter Airport instead.
Lighter planes, like those used by Sparrow Aviation, were allowed to fly after a short ban. At first, passengers for diverted flights would still check in at Gothenburg City Airport. Then, they would take a bus to Landvetter Airport. Later, all check-in for these flights was done at Landvetter.
The airport was initially planned to be closed to heavy aircraft until at least the end of January 2015. However, on January 13, 2015, the airport decided to close permanently for passenger flights. This was because it was too expensive to fix the runway and taxiway problems. Sparrow Aviation, using lighter planes, continued to use City Airport until January 18, 2015.
The airport stayed open until the end of 2015. They hoped to find a buyer who could agree to Swedavia's terms and ensure the airport's future.
In May 2016, there was talk of building a motorsport track at Säve Airport. This plan did not happen. The airfield is still open for general aviation. It is home to two flying clubs, a commercial flight school, and helicopters for police and ambulance services. In 2019, a company called Heart Aerospace also started working at the airport.
Airport Statistics
| Year | Passengers | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 714,798 |  1.9% |
| 2011 | 772,669 |  8.1% |
| 2012 | 807,763 | 4.6% |
| 2013 | 863,140 | 6.8% |
| 2014 | 757,693 | 12.2% |
| 2015 | 2,121 | 99.7% |
| Year | Movements | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 53,650 | 4.5% |
| 2011 | 55,394 | 3.3% |
| 2012 | 48,968 | 11.6% |
| 2013 | 50,848 | 3.8% |
| 2014 | 50,822 | 0.1% |
| 2015 | 14,679 | -71.1% |
See also
In Spanish: Aeropuerto de la ciudad de Gotemburgo para niños
- List of the largest airports in the Nordic countries
