Critical Infrastructure Governance for Risk and Crisis Management - The Role of Regional Airports in Remote Areas
Abstract as pdf
Corresponding Author:
Christine Große
Mid Sweden University Sweden
christine.grosse@miun.se
Author(s):
Pär M. Olausson1
1Mid Sweden University, Par.Olausson@Miun.Se, SWE
The summer of 2018 will go down in history as the hottest and driest summer for more than 260 years. The combination of heat and drought caused extensive wildfires in Sweden. Corresponding to twice the area of the wildfires in 2014, more than 25,000 hectares of forest burned during the summer of 2018. Compared to around 110 fires in average seasons, the rescue service detected more than 500 fires in this summer, whereas over 80 fires were reported from anywhere of the country on one especially drastic day. However, the most severe fires centered in the middle of Sweden in the counties of Dalarna, Gävleborg, Jämtland and Västernorrland. In addition to the extent of the fires, their sheer number further complicated the extinguishing work. For the fight against the forest fires, aviation and thus the regional airports came to play a major and perhaps crucial role. Although the regional airports play an important role in crisis management, the current Swedish airport system attaches little importance to this role. Instead, the public investigation that suggested the categorisation of Swedish airports departed only from the number of passengers that travel via the individual airports. Consequently, the airports in Sweden divide into three categories: national, regional and other airports. Whereas the government finances the national airports, the remaining airports rely on subsidies from municipalities, regions and private actors. This precondition has become a severe issue during the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in a substantial decrease of passengers and flights.
The paper reflects on the role of regional airports in regional and municipal crisis preparedness in Sweden. Departing from analyses of public policies, this study includes findings from interviews and a workshop with several concerned actors. Although the workshop more generally addressed the importance of regional airports to society, several issues emerged that concern public risk and crisis management. The results show that an efficiently operated network of regional airports is important – as basal infrastructure to aviation – not only for fighting wildfires but also for ensuring health care in sparsely inhabited regions. Moreover, the access to quick transportation by air that regional airports provide is of vital importance for the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, the tourism industry, public institutions, such as the university, and private companies and industries. The presented insights emphasise that the one-sided focus on the number of passengers is an insufficient foundation for the Swedish airport system.
Community response to crises and disasters: From preparedness to practices