Flight cancellations to continue after strike ends

Airline Widerøe has said that the consequences of the current air technician strike will be felt after a resolution is found and that cancellations are likely to continue, public broadcaster NRK reports. 

Norwegian Air Shuttle has also predicted issues after the strike ends because of a backlog of maintenance built up during the strike. 

SAS has said that it was expecting a backlog but that the airline would be able to handle it. 

“We have some backlog, but we believe that we will be able to handle it even after the strike has ended,” Tonje Sund, press manager for SAS in Norway, told NRK. 

In addition, pilots from SAS could strike from June 29th. Up to 250 daily flights could be disrupted by a potential pilot strike Hans Jørgen Elnæs from Winair AS told newswire NTB. 

READ ALSO: More flights in Norway cancelled due to technician strike

Unemployment dropped in the first quarter

Unemployment in Norway fell to 3.2 percent in April, down 0.2 percentage points from January, the latest figures from national stats agency Statistics Norway reveal. 

While unemployment fell, there were 0.3 percent more jobs available on the market. In April, there were 93,000 people out of work aged between 15 and 74, while 2,859,000 were employed. The overall workforce grew by 23,000 in the first quarter. 

Workers in Norway earned an average of 43,800 kroner in May, 0.4 percent less than in April. Women had an average salary of 32,150 kroner, while Men had a salary of 45,246 kroner. 

Fornebubanen gets the go-ahead.

A new metro line between Majortstuen and Fornebu has been given the green light, ending uncertainty over its future for the time being. 

Earlier this spring project faced being scrapped, even though construction had already begun due to spiralling costs.

The Labour Party, Socialist Left Party, Green Party, Conservatives, the Liberal Party, Conservatives and Christian Democrats secured a majority for the project to continue, public broadcaster NRK reports. 

During construction, the estimated cost of the project rose by 7 billion kroner, putting the new metro line at risk. 

However, a majority in favour of continuing with the line was secured when landowners contributed 2.1 billion kroner to see the project completed. 

Sankthans today

Sankthans or Jonsok, translated as “John’s wake”, is a Midsummer celebration with both religious and secular roots.

Along with the rest of Scandinavia, it is popular to celebrate with bonfires. The celebration is mainly centred around the shared gratitude of long days and warm nights on the evening of the 23rd.

READ MORE: What is Sankthans? How Norwegians mark the middle of summer