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PFAS

PFAS

There is growing concern related PFAS because these substances break down very slowly in nature, tend to spread in the environment, accumulate in living organisms, and may be harmful to health. Since 2001, Avinor has used PFOS-free firefighting foam, and since 2012, foam completely free of fluorinated compounds. As an individual measure, this is one of the most important steps Avinor has taken to reduce PFAS leakage. Internationally, some airports still use firefighting foam containing PFAS. Historical use has led to soil contamination at Avinor’s airports, which still contributes to some PFAS leaking into the surrounding environment.

In Avinor’s Climate and Environmental Strategy from 2023, a long-term goal was adopted stating that “Avinor shall contribute to the national objective of reducing PFAS emissions,” along with a short-term goal to “Remediate PFAS-contaminated areas in accordance with orders from the Norwegian Environment Agency.” In practice, this short-term goal means that cleanup of PFAS-contaminated sites will be carried out at two airports per year during the period 2023–2027. This will be measured using two KPIs:

  • Number of sites (airports) where remediation measures have been completed.

  • Amount of PFAS (kilograms) removed from circulation through removal or measures reducing dispersion.

Avinor has established a dedicated PFAS program responsible for mapping, preparing action plans, and carrying out remediation in response to orders from the Norwegian Environment Agency. The program’s work is based on the principle that the total PFAS emissions from Avinor’s airports shall be reduced as much as possible (in accordance with the requirements of the agency’s orders). The objective is to remove PFAS or reduce its spread from the most contaminated areas at 13 prioritized airports by 2027. The prioritization is based on the 2019 summary report prepared following an order from the Norwegian Environment Agency. The figure below shows the measures implemented so far at Avinor’s sites (Figure 1).

Measures implemented so far (including ongoing work in 2025) at the aforementioned airports have removed or reduced the spread of 245 kilograms of PFAS, mainly through excavation and disposal (Figure 2). All excavated material has been delivered to landfills with special permits to receive PFAS-contaminated masses.

Avinor is also working to increase its knowledge of new and relevant remediation methods for PFAS-contaminated soil and/or water. Avinor aims to implement alternative remediation methods beyond those used so far (water treatment/excavation and disposal), in order to carry out cleanups more cost-effectively without compromising environmental impact.

Avinor has made an accounting provision to reflect the expected costs related to the work and cleanup of PFAS-contaminated sites. This provision is subject to significant uncertainty and is continuously updated as new information becomes available. Changes in regulatory requirements, limit values, and framework conditions from authorities may affect the costs related to PFAS activities. As of Q2 2025, the provision amounts to NOK 775 million.