Helsingborg politicians want to scrap the environmental requirements to save the airport

For several years, the municipality of Helsingborg, which has been designated the country's best environmental municipality, has tried to persuade politicians and officials to take the train instead of the air when they are traveling for work.

Nowadays, a penalty fee of 50 percent of the cost of each air ticket is levied. The money goes to a fund and is used for various environmental improvement measures in the municipality, such as tree planting.

And two years ago, the trend break came - politicians and officials reduced their flying by 30 percent. Many points to the fact that this trend continued in 2019. At that time, the number of criminal charges decreased.

But the difficult location for Ängelholm / Helsingborg airport has led the Swedish Democrat Pontus Andersson to suggest that the city give up its environmental ambitions in this area.

- The airport needs more travelers and Helsingborg needs the airport. It's about getting companies to establish themselves in the city and create jobs here, he says.

Pontus Andersson thinks that politicians should remove the penalty fee and instead encourage their employees and politicians to take the flight.

- Jobs are more important than the environment on this issue. We cannot have an environmental perspective in absurdity, he says.

But is it politicians' thing to help a private airport?

- Yes, when it comes to safeguarding jobs and business, says Pontus Andersson.

He is immediately bribed by the chairman of the Environment Committee, the center party Johan Vesterlund.

- Our investment in choosing the train more often has had an impact on the environment. It would give a very strange signal if we now back from it, not least to all Helsingborg citizens who also fight for the environment. In addition, it is not our primary job to save a private airport, he says.

But isn't it important to fight for more jobs in Helsingborg?

- Yes, but not at the expense of climate work. In addition, the business community also has an environmental mindset and even there you are increasingly choosing the train, says Johan Vesterlund.