Arlanda Aviation Collections

Arlanda Aviation Collections are the state's collections from civil aviation. The collections consist of entire aircraft and parts, with the oldest items coming from the early 20th century. The collection tells about the history of aviation in Sweden. In addition to the many objects, there are photographs, personal archives, manuals and books about Swedish aviation history.

The core of the collections are the preserved motor and glider aircrafts. The Albatross B.II from 1917 is the oldest plane and the Riesler R.III from 1921 is the world's only surviving example. Here is also the nose of the Dana Viking passenger aircraft that made an emergency landing in Gottröra in 1991.

In addition to the airplanes, there are about twenty aircraft engines that reflect the technological development with a focus on the period 1935 to 1950. The collection also includes vehicles and more than 3,000 objects connected to aviation technology and aviation activities such as flight instruments, uniforms, posters, porcelain and more.

History

In 1953, the collection of objects for a future civil aviation museum at Arlanda Airport began. With the support of strong players in the Swedish aerospace industry, the Aerospace Expo was inaugurated in 1998 in a hangar at Arlanda Airport. Three years later, the business was shut down. The non-profit association Arlanda aviation's friends was then formed to manage the items. The association has also been open to visitors on certain days.

Since 2018, Arlanda aviation collections have been included in the Swedish Maritime and Transport History Museums, SMTM.

In storage in Rosersberg

Arlanda flight collections have moved from the hangar at Arlanda in 2023 as the property owner Swedavia has terminated the lease. On January 7 2023, the collections closed to visitors.

The collections are now stored in Rosersberg for a five-year period while SMTM works on developing a long-term solution regarding premises for and making Arlanda aviation collections available. This is done in cooperation with the friends of Arlanda aviation collections.