Avinor: Asia moves that bit closer to Bergen and Tromsø

Starting next May, Avinor's Bergen and Tromsø airports will be better connected to Asia following the announcement that Finnair will begin flights from its Helsinki hub to the Norwegian cities. Norwegian regional carrier Widerøe will operate the routes which will be sold and marketed by Finnair.

As of 15 May 2018, daily flights will connect Bergen to Helsinki. On the same day, weekly (Saturdays) flights to Tromsø will also commence, with both services will be operated by Widerøe's brand-new Embraer 190-E2s. The two new services will also connect the Norwegian regions to Finnair's extensive Asian route networks. As a result of this expansion, Finnair will offer services to three Avinor airports in S18, with the new operations complementing its existing 25 times weekly flights to Oslo Gardermoen, already seeing the airline offer over 3,300 weekly seats between Finland and Norway. SAS and Norwegian also connect the Norwegian capital city airport to Helsinki.

"We are delighted with the announcement of daily services between Bergen and Helsinki," says Jasper Spruit, VP Traffic Development, Avinor. "Inbound tourism to the fjords is booming and we will now see a further boost from Asia to Bergen through Finnair. The oneworld carrier operates to six destinations in China, four in Japan, as well as further points in India and South Korea. With just one stop via Finnair's excellent Helsinki hub en route to Bergen, we have high expectations for growth in city break and cruise tourism from these Asian regions."

The Northern Lights will be the main attraction for Finnair's other new service suggests Spruit: "Furthermore we are very happy with Finnair's entry into the Tromsø market from next May. Its introduction gives Asian travellers the opportunity to see the Northern Lights in winter, so with the addition of these two destinations to the airline's network, Norway offers an exciting year-round product for our visitors."

Working closely with Visit Norway at Innovation Norway, the tourism board's Marketing Director Stein Ove Rolland also states: "Innovation Norway has recognised a significant boost in tourist interest from Asia, and our strong partnership with Avinor is helping us to attract new routes and meet the high demand in a sustainable way." Rolland added: "The trend is unstoppable, Norway is getting more and more popular among Asian travelers, so we expect even more announcements to come."