Stockholm-Arlanda Airport - Sweden
The decision to build Stockholm-Arlanda Airport was made toward the end of WWII, but actual construction at the chosen site of Hamsjšn didn't begin until 1952. Initially, the budget for the project was minuscule, and the results were not entirely positive. Not long after, however, construction inspired by higher standards began. The old runway was rebuilt and another one was added. The airport's present name was chosen in 1958, and the first regular flight to New York took place two years later, in 1960. In 1962 King Gustav VI Adolf officially opened the airport to the public.
Stockholm-Arlanda's high number of landings and take-offs make it Europe's sixth biggest airport. In 1994 there were 230,000 landings and take-offs, and 13.3 million visitors traveled through. Anticipated growth in the area of civil aviation lead to a decision to build a new runway. It is also hoped that in just a few years the construction of another railway, speeding up travel between the airport and central Stockholm, will be complete. Just recently a large commercial center, Sky City, was erected. It provides shopping, dining and hotel services to all of those arrive at the airport. The airport currently employs 13,000 people, one tenth of whom are employees of the Civil Aviation Administration. With 250 employers in all, Arlanda is one of Swedens biggest workplaces.
