Financing and support for regional airports

The plan wants to steer transports to rail and sustainable shipping and requires that all political decisions take account of climate emergency, with sharpened climate goals as starting point. Extended state guarantees and taken-over traffic charges for regional airports go in the opposite direction. The plan's requirement that the state take greater responsibility for transport infrastructure and for municipalities with weak finances pulls the other way, which makes the assessment uncertain.

• transport to raildecisive»Tunga transporter behöver styras till järnväg och hållbar sjöfart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Heavy transports need to be steered to rail and sustainable shipping.”
• climate consideration in all decisions»Omställningen behöver ske omgående och alla politiska beslut behöver ta hänsyn till den akuta kris som vi befinner oss i.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The transition needs to happen immediately and all political decisions need to take account of the acute crisis we are in.”
• support to weak municipalities»särskild hänsyn ska tas till de många kommuner och regioner som idag inte får ihop sin ekonomi« (2022 manifesto ↗)“special consideration shall be given to the many municipalities and regions that today cannot balance their finances”
• state infrastructure responsibility»Utbyggnaden av transportinfrastruktur och fiber går alldeles för sakta, staten behöver gå in och ta ett större ansvar för utbyggnaden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The expansion of transport infrastructure and fibre is going far too slowly, the state needs to go in and take greater responsibility for the expansion.”

flags: planen_pekar_bada_hall

The plan requires that the state is present throughout the country and that transport and communication systems function throughout the country as a condition for regionally balanced development. Greater state responsibility for municipally and regionally owned airports with weak finances points in that direction. The plan's requirement to shift the transport system toward rail and public transport pulls in the other direction at the same time, which is why the assessment is uncertain. The plan nonetheless supports the demand.

• state presence throughout the countrydecisive»Staten ska finnas närvarande i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state shall be present throughout the country.”
• transport throughout the country»Väl fungerande transport- och kommunikationssystem i hela landet är« (party programme ↗)“Well functioning transport and communication systems throughout the country are”
• the entire country shall live»Alla har ett gemensamt intresse av att hela landet kan leva och utvecklas.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone has a shared interest in the entire country being able to live and develop.”
• shift of transport systems»Transportsystemen ska läggas om för mer gång-, cykel- och kollektivtrafik och så att« (party programme ↗)“Transport systems shall be shifted for more walking, cycling and public transport and so that”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme explicitly says that airports shall not be subsidised with public funds and that aviation shall bear its environmental costs in full. The counter-proposal's demands for state guarantees and for the state to take a larger share of traffic fees for regional airports goes directly against this, as does the election manifesto's line to reduce aviation and invest in railways.

• no airport subsidiesdecisive»ska inte subventioneras med offentliga medel.« (party programme ↗)“shall not be subsidised with public funds.”
• aviation bears its costs»Det är för oss självklart att flyget ska bära« (party programme ↗)“For us it is self-evident that aviation shall bear”
• reduced aviation travel»minska flygets utsläpp — höja flygskatten, minska flygresandet och skynda på omställningen till förnybara bränslen, elektrobränslen och elflyg för de flygresor som inte kan ersättas på annat sätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“reduce aviation emissions — raise the aviation tax, reduce aviation travel and accelerate the transition to renewable fuels, electrofuels and electric aviation for those flights that cannot be replaced in other ways.”
• railways before aviation»bygga ut och rusta upp järnvägsnätet för snabba tåg i hela landet och skynda på bygget av nya stambanor för höghastighetståg.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“expand and upgrade the railway network for fast trains across the country and accelerate the construction of new main lines for high-speed trains.”

The election manifesto establishes that regional aviation holds Sweden together and that aviation infrastructure shall function throughout the country, and that regional airports shall be ready with the right infrastructure. That the state takes greater economic responsibility for the municipally and regionally owned airports follows from this commitment and from the requirement for better communications for the development of the whole country. The plan thus supports the counter-proposal's demands.

• aviation infrastructure throughout the countrydecisive»Det regionala flyget håller ihop Sverige. Flyginfrastrukturen ska fungera i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Regional aviation holds Sweden together. Aviation infrastructure shall function throughout the country.”
• regional airports ready»Vi vill säkerställa att de regionala flygplatserna står redo med rätt infrastruktur när elflyget utvecklas i snabb takt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to ensure that regional airports are ready with the right infrastructure as electric aviation develops at a rapid pace.”
• better communications»Besöksnäringen har stor betydelse för hela landets utveckling, och för att den ska kunna fortsätta växa krävs också bättre kommunikationer och infrastruktur.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tourism has great importance for the development of the whole country, and for it to continue growing also requires better communications and infrastructure.”
• infrastructure throughout the country»Järnvägen till samhället, vägen till huset, bredbandet till skärmen« (party programme ↗)“The railway to the community, the road to the house, broadband to the screen”

The plan requires that all modes of transport bear their climate costs and that fossil subsidies are gradually abolished, and it wants to increase the investment rate by having more projects financed by fees. Extended state guarantees and assumed traffic charges for regional airports go against that line. The plan simultaneously protects state service and accessibility throughout the country, which pulls in the opposite direction and makes the assessment uncertain.

• transports bear their costsdecisive»Beroendet av fossila bränslen måste brytas och alla transportslag måste stå för sina klimatkostnader.« (party programme ↗)“Dependence on fossil fuels must be broken and all modes of transport must bear their climate costs.”
• fee-financed infrastructure»För att höja investeringstakten ska fler nya projekt kunna avgiftsfinansieras.« (party programme ↗)“To increase the investment rate, more new projects shall be able to be financed by fees.”
• abolished fossil subsidies»Subventioner, inklusive skattelättnader och stöd, till fossila bränslen i Sverige såväl som globalt ska successivt avskaffas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Subsidies, including tax reductions and support, for fossil fuels in Sweden as well as globally shall gradually be abolished.”
• accessibility throughout the country»Tillgången till statlig service ska säkras i hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“Access to state service shall be ensured throughout the country.”

The plan assigns the state responsibility to maintain a system of national and regional airports as well as regionally significant air traffic that does not come about on commercial grounds, and establishes that a well-functioning domestic air traffic is necessary in a country with long distances. The goal is that all of Sweden shall live and that everyone regardless of place of residence can partake of society's fundamental rights. Greater state responsibility for non-state regional airports follows from this.

• state responsibility for airport systemdecisive»har ett ansvar att upprätthålla ett system av nationella och regionala flygplatser liksom regionalt betydelsefull flygtrafik som inte kommer till stånd på kommersiella grunder.« (party programme ↗)“has a responsibility to maintain a system of national and regional airports as well as regionally significant air traffic that does not come about on commercial grounds.”
• domestic air traffic at long distances»är nödvändigt i Sverige med dess långa avstånd.« (party programme ↗)“is necessary in Sweden with its long distances.”
• equality regardless of place of residence»Alla människor ska oavsett bostadsort kunna få del av« (party programme ↗)“All people shall regardless of place of residence be able to partake of”
• functioning throughout the country»Hela Sverige ska fungera och det ska gå att bo och verka även utanför de stora städerna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“All of Sweden shall function and it shall be possible to live and work even outside the major cities.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The counter-proposal wants the state to provide economic guarantees and take a larger share of the costs for municipally and privately owned airports. The plan establishes that state spending shall decrease and that the major needs within the judicial system, defence and welfare require tough priorities, and that decisions and responsibility belong at the lowest possible level. The plan affirms aviation as such but makes no new operating support commitments.

• reduced state spendingdecisive»Statens utgifter ska minska – vi ska stoppa slöseriet med skattepengar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“State spending shall decrease – we shall stop wastage of taxpayer money”
• tough priorities»De stora behoven inom rättsväsendet, försvaret och välfärden ställer stora krav på prioriteringar under åren som kommer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The major needs within the judicial system, defence and welfare place major demands on priorities in the years to come.”
• responsibility at the lowest level»Beslut ska fattas på lägsta möjliga nivå, så nära medborgarna som möjligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decisions shall be made at the lowest possible level, as close to citizens as possible.”
• positive towards aviation»Flyget är mitt uppe i en snabb omställning med ökad användning av biobränslen, vätgas och utveckling av elflyg. Det är en utveckling som Moderaterna vill bejaka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Aviation is in the midst of a rapid transition with increased use of biofuels, hydrogen and development of electric flight. This is a development that the Moderates want to support.”

The election manifesto states that regional airports shall be preserved and given status as standby airports, and notes that several are threatened with closure after reduced aviation. The counter-proposal's demand that the state take greater responsibility for non-state regional airports through economic guarantees and a larger share of traffic fees directly addresses that commitment. The plan also emphasizes that domestic aviation is central to enabling people throughout the country to run businesses.

• preserve regional airportsdecisive»Bevara de regionala flygplatserna och att göra dem till beredskapsflygplatser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Preserve the regional airports and make them standby airports”
• threatened airports»Många av landets regionala flygplatser har drabbats av minskat flygande och flera är nedläggningshotade.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Many of the country's regional airports have suffered from reduced aviation and several are threatened with closure.”
• value of airports»Värdet av Bromma flygplats och andra regionala flygplatser kan i detta perspektiv inte betonas tillräckligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The value of Bromma airport and other regional airports cannot be overstated in this perspective.”
• safeguard domestic aviation»Bevara inrikesflyget och Bromma flygplats« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Preserve domestic aviation and Bromma airport”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.