Airlines are boosting Kiruna – Norwegian is expanding its winter services and SAS is investing in year-round operations

Air connectivity to Kiruna is set to improve significantly. Norwegian is revising its previous schedule and will increase the number of flights between Stockholm Arlanda and Kiruna from two to four per week during the winter. At the same time, SAS is planning overnight stops in Kiruna five days a week all year round, with the exception of the peak summer period from 15 June to 15 August. The announcements have been warmly welcomed by Kiruna Lappland and Kiruna Airport and are seen as an important result of long-term, proactive efforts to improve access to the destination.

Norwegian’s winter tickets are now on sale, and the expanded service means both better accessibility and more choice for visitors, residents and the business community.

– We are absolutely delighted with Norwegian’s decision to return to four flights a week. Together with SAS’s strong commitment, this will give Kiruna significantly better connectivity. “We have been working actively with the airlines for a long time, presenting market data and, above all, highlighting the strong reasons for travelling to Kiruna. It is very positive that we are now seeing this development,” says Peter Salomonsson, CEO of Kiruna Lappland.

SAS is strengthening its year-round services
SAS is also making a significant investment in Kiruna. The airline’s current plans involve overnight stops in Kiruna five days a week, with flights to Stockholm Arlanda all year round, except during the peak summer period between 15 June and 15 August.

The overnight stop is particularly important for Kiruna as it provides better opportunities for early departures from Kiruna and late arrivals from Stockholm. This improves conditions for business travellers and the local population alike, as well as for the tourism industry.

– These are two very positive developments for Kiruna. The fact that Norwegian is expanding its winter schedule whilst SAS is planning overnight stops five days a week for most of the year demonstrates the strength of the market. Stable air traffic with good timetables, capacity and competition is absolutely crucial for Kiruna’s development, says Ulf Nygren, Airport Manager at Kiruna Airport.

Compelling reasons to travel all year round
In recent years, Kiruna has developed into an increasingly popular international destination, with attractions throughout much of the year. The Northern Lights, the Arctic winter, skiing, the ICEHOTEL, Abisko, the mountain landscape and Sámi culture attract visitors from Sweden and all over the world.

At the same time, the city transformation, the mining sector, the space industry, research and a growing business sector are creating a significant need for good transport links for both business and leisure travellers. Kiruna Lapland and Kiruna Airport, together with the local aviation council, have actively prioritised efforts to improve air access and have engaged with airlines to highlight the market’s potential, demand and the strong reasons for travelling to Kiruna.

– We’re not just competing with other destinations for visitors, but also for the airlines’ capacity. These decisions are proof of our strong market and that the work we’ve done is paying off. Now we need to continue working together to generate demand and fill the seats that the airlines are allocating to Kiruna, say Ulf and Peter.

For this destination, the combination of capacity and attractive timetables across the airlines is particularly important. This creates better conditions for reasonable ticket prices and makes Kiruna more accessible to both Swedish and international visitors.

Taken together, the initiatives by Norwegian and SAS mean that Kiruna will be in a stronger position ahead of the coming winter, whilst also enjoying better prospects for stable flight connectivity for most of the year.

For more information, contact:
Peter Salomonsson, CEO, Kiruna Lappland
+46 70-676 53 20 | peter@kirunalapland.se

Ulf Nygren, Airport Manager, Kiruna Airport
+46 70-236 50 50 | ulf.nygren@swedavia.se
Swedavia: press@swedavia.se