To u r i s m , C u lt u r e
and
Business
I s su e 45 • 2021
Connecting the Faroe Islands Atlantic Airways sees growth opportunities in Iceland
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tlantic Airways, the national carrier of the Faroe Islands celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018, having grown from a small operator to an international airline. The company operates several modern aircraft and helicopters, serving a n increa sing number of domestic and international passengers. Atlantic Airways has impressive growth plans for 2022 that include Iceland. “Our main activity has been to connect the Faroe Islands, to give the Faroese an opportunity to go abroad and to bring visitors to the Faroes, and that includes Iceland,” said CEO Jóhanna á Bergi. “We have routes to 10 different destinations, some all year and some for the summer and winter. The airline operates direct flights all year round from the Faroe Islands to Copenhagen, Billund, Aalborg, Edinburgh, Keflavik, Oslo and Paris, and seasonal flights to Barcelona, Mallorca and the Canary Islands.”
Good Iceland connection
Atlantic Airways has a strong relationship with Iceland and only sees that growing. “We are aiming to have a daily flight to Iceland as there is more interest and we are eager to invite Icelanders to the Faroes, to share our culture, food and nature.”
Future plans
The airline’s expansion plans had to be put on hold due to the fallout of Covid-19. “We had plans in 2020 that we put on hold, so 2022 will be our 2020”, said Jóhanna. “We are continuing to look at how to best serve the Faroese people and to attract visitors to the Faroes in 2022.” “Our plan is to build on MICE activities and attract business travellers, conferences,
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Jóhanna á Bergi sports events and music events. Our high season is from July to September and we want to have a better balance between the high season and low season”, said Jóhanna. “We are working on attracting business and entertainment events for the shoulder season.”
Steady growth
The number of passengers flying Atlantic Airways has been steadily growing over the years, with 2018, its 30th year in operation, seeing a record-breaking 308,000 passengers, a 10% increase over the previous year. “We are seeing tourists come to the Faroe Islands and Nordic countries from all over the world and we expect that number to increase”, she said. -JG
Atlantic Airways
Vagar Airport, FO-380 Sorvagur Faroe Islands
+298 34 10 00
booking@atlantic.fo
www.icelandictimes.com
