SAS to invest in Kiruna, enabling greater growth potential through more departures
SAS will expand service to and from Kiruna Airport by 30 per cent in its Winter timetable. Five new arrivals and departures a week will be added on the direct route between Kiruna and Stockholm Arlanda Airport, which offers connecting flights to destinations around the world. The new timetable will go into effect on Monday, October 31.
“We are always working to improve our product offering to our customers. During the winter season, we fly to many popular holiday destinations. Increasing the number of departures to and from Kiruna creates better access to the rest of SAS’s network around the world and provides greater opportunities for tourists who want to travel to northern Sweden,” says Anders Wahlström, Head of sales at SAS Sweden.
SAS operates daily year-round to and from Kiruna via Stockholm Arlanda, where the airline is continuously developing routes to new and current destinations. A large number of passengers to Kiruna come from countries such as Britain and Germany, especially during the peak seasons for tourism.
Passengers can depart from southern Sweden for Kiruna in the morning and arrive as early as 9.40 a.m. (departing from Malmö at 6.30 a.m. Monday to Thursday).
Continuous access by air to and from Kiruna is a very important factor in the municipality’s process of relocating the town centre. Other industries such as the space and mining industries are also highly dependent on sustainable infrastructure, including air traffic and links to the rest of the world.
“We are working with great focus to increase tourism to this destination, and one of the most important factors for a sustainable increase is indeed good dialogues with the airlines,” says Daniel Rosenfors, CEO of the association Kiruna in Swedish Lapland.
“A lot is happening in Kiruna right now in different industries, not least because of the town’s relocation. So air connectivity is incredibly important as a growth factor for companies in the municipality and for all our partners in both Sweden and abroad,” says Peter Niemi, Kiruna’s municipal director.
Swedavia Kiruna Airport runs the Kiruna Aviation Council, which brings together public and private sector stakeholders locally for active dialogue with airlines. The council’s commitment and knowledge about the market are aimed at ensuring air connectivity in both the short and long term. Kiruna is one of the most active and attractive airports for the tourism industry in the region, and over the past decade, the number of passengers has doubled. Today, more than 250,000 people fly to or from Kiruna each year.
“Swedavia is an important link between airlines and this destination, where we are all active and work together to ensure sustainable traffic growth. SAS’s expansion is clear evidence of this joint, active effort, and we will now realise this aim of increased travel in all industries,” notes Carina Johnsson, Commercial Director at Kiruna Airport.
