What’s happening?

Arlanda Airport in Stockholm has been hit with chaos this weekend, as understaffing has led to crowding and long queues.

On Saturday, the crowding and queuing at Arlanda’s outbound Terminal 5 was so severe that travellers had to be diverted to Terminals 2 and 4.

To relieve the pressure, it was decided that the Arlanda Express would not stop at Terminal 5’s station, Arlanda North, for a few hours on Saturday afternoon and early Sunday morning.

EXPLAINED: What can I do if I miss my flight due to Sweden’s airport chaos?

The road to terminal 5 was also closed early on Sunday morning. The police were on site to redirect traffic to terminals 2 and 4 and travellers had to proceed from there to terminal 5.

What’s the latest advice for travellers?

The police have advised passengers to avoid driving to the airport. Police spokesman Ola Österling said: “Avoid as much as possible taking the car to Arlanda and use public transport instead. It may also be a good idea to go to one of the long-term parking lots and use public transport from there to the terminal, which will mean fewer cars at the terminal.”

Swedavia, the company which runs the airport has attributed some of the chaos to many travellers arriving far too early before departure and now advises passengers not to come too far in advance.

Spokesman for Swedavia, David Karlsson said: “The general recommendation is two to three hours. But some people arrive up to eight hours before their flight, which means that the terminal is sometimes far too crowded,” says.

 He also added that, where possible, passengers should check-in digitally.