On 3 May 2018, SAS announced that it would start flights directly from Oulu to Arlanda Airport in Stockholm. The last time a scheduled flight connection between Oulu and Stockholm was available was in 2014.
“We are happy to say that SAS keeps growing in Finland and will start a new route from Oulu to Stockholm in November 2018. We have been collaborating with BusinessOulu and SAS to bring this direct connection back in order to support the growth in the Oulu area. Passenger volumes at the Oulu airport have been increasing and are expected to reach the one million passengers milestone this year. Finavia has already invested more than EUR 17 million in the airport in Oulu,” explains Petri Vuori, Vice President of Sales and Route Development at Finavia.
According to SAS, the aircraft type used to operate the route will be a CRJ 900 with 90 seats, manufactured by Canadian company Bombardier.
“We are very happy with how well our routes and products have been received, as it provides us with an opportunity to invest in the upcoming winter season by maintaining our routes and adding new flights. It’s also great that we are able to establish new routes,” says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO of SAS.
Oulu Airport is the second busiest airport in Finland. It has been ranked as one of the best airports in Finland, receiving excellent ratings in customer satisfaction surveys. In 2016, it was named Airport of the year.
From the beginning of 2018 to mid-April, passenger volumes have increased by approximately six per cent compared to the beginning of last year.
“The relaunched connection will make the airport a part of the SAS network and significantly improves passenger connections from Oulu to other Nordic Countries, Europe and even further away. At the same time, it offers international passengers a new route to Oulu. We believe that the connection will also provide a natural boost to business activities, research and development cooperation and educational contacts between Stockholm and Oulu,” Pauliina Pikkujämsä, Head of Marketing at BusinessOulu, explains the vision.
Last summer, Finavia carried out a major renovation project at Oulu Airport, including improvements to the air traffic infrastructure. A few years earlier, services at the terminal were overhauled and the terminal was made more pleasant and comfortable for passengers. Now Finavia has announced that it will improve the traffic arrangements at the airport. The objective is to make arriving to and departing from the airport more convenient and clarify the parking arrangements, which will also benefit the passengers of the Oulu–Stockholm route in the future. The work will begin on 2 May 2018 and they will be completed at the end of August.
In addition to the upcoming route to Stockholm, direct scheduled flight connections by Arctic Airlink are still available to Tromsø and Luleå, where you can take a connecting flight to as far as Gothenburg. There are as many as 17 flights per day from Oulu to Helsinki.
New SAS flights from Tampere-Pirkkala Airport and Turku Airport
The airline has announced its 18 new routes, including its second new route from Finland: during next winter, it will operate from Tampere to Malaga, Spain. Ticket sales for the flights will be launched in May.
In addition, SAS has stated that it will improve the flight connection between Turku and Stockholm. The new winter program now includes 26 departures per week.
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This article was produced in co-operation with Finavia, Business Oulu and SAS.
Image: SAS
