Finnair opens route to Norwegian Arctic
Will be the first airline to offer scheduled international flights to Longyearbyen in the Norwegian Arctic.
Finnair’s direct route from Helsinki to Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost airport with public scheduled flights, starts on June 1st next year and will last throughout the summer season until August 27th.
“During Midsummer we will provide three weekly flights to Svalbard, which is mainly aimed at European customers, but can also be connected from our Asian flights,” says Petri Vuori, Finnair’s Vice-President of Global Sales in a press release.
Current flights from Oslo, Tromsø
Today, SAS and Norwegian operates daily domestic flights from the Norwegian mainland to Svalbard. Flights are operated both from Oslo and Tromsø. The new route from Helsinki will be the first scheduled international flight directly to Longyearbyen airport, located at 76 degrees north.
Although Norway is part of the Schengen Area, Svalbard is not. Therefore, passengers flying to and from the Longyearbyen will have to walk through passport control, either with a national ID card indicating nationality or a passport is needed.
Related stories from around the North:
Norway: Air route links Norway, Sweden and Finland in Arctic, Barents Observer
Russia: Svalbard visitor list rules “unfriendly” says Russia, Barents Observer
Sweden: EU Sweden project may lead to ‘green’ flights at airports, Radio Sweden
United States: Airlines’ new hunting trophy rules worry Alaskans, Alaska Dispatch News
