Norway’s Transport Ministry has awarded Widerøe and DAT contracts for several subsidized regional air routes (FOT) in the country. The government department says the move will lower prices for passengers by 50% and increase seat capacity on the services.

Norwegian carrier Widerøe has been assigned the routes from Lakselv-Tromsø, Andøya-Bodø, Andøya-Tromsø, Harstad/Narvik-Bodø and Harstad/Narvik-Tromsø, while Danish operator DAT will operate three routes from Oslo to Florø, Røros and Stord.

The tenders for the contracts are valid from April 1, 2024, until Oct. 31, 2027, or 2028. They were announced last April, and all carriers in European Union or European Economic Area member states were invited to submit bids to operate them.

“With these contracts, we show that we are now in the process of achieving the government’s goal of lower flight prices on the FOT routes,” Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård says. “On all routes covered by these agreements, the maximum fares will be halved.”

Widerøe already has contracts for four of the five routes it has been awarded, but the two-year term for them ends in April 2024. DAT currently operates the fifth—between Lakselv and Tromsø—which has now been assigned to Widerøe. Meanwhile, DAT also offers flights from Oslo to Florø and Stord at present, and Widerøe serves Oslo-Røros.

When the tender for the routes was issued, Norway’s Transport Ministry said the contracts include requirements for the operator both to indicate the expected carbon dioxide emissions and offer the possibility of purchasing climate compensation for the journey, before the end of the first year of operation. The department will also “encourage the phase-in of zero- and low-emission aircraft as soon as it is technically possible.”

Negotiations are still taking place between the ministry and one unnamed airline about several more subsidized regional air route contracts that were put out to tender in April.