Atlantic Airways Switches London Flight

Faroese flag carrier Atlantic Airways is to move its summer 2012 flights to the UK from London Stansted to London Gatwick Airport, it has confirmed. The airline will offer a twice weekly service between Vágar and London from May 31, 2012 to September 17, 2012 with additional flights also scheduled to operate on April 4 and April 9 to cater for Easter demand.

“We are delighted to be able to move our UK operations this year to London Gatwick, which is the preferred London airport for both our Faroese customers and for our UK outbound market,” said Magni Arge, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Airways.

The Faroe Islands, mid-way between Shetland and Iceland, are becoming more popular with travelers from the UK. Atlantic Airways launched flights to London in 2000 and has seen traffic grow steadily over this period. Every year over 3,000 O&D passengers travel on the Vágar – London route and traffic increased by around 5.5 per cent in the last 12 months.

The islands also offer some of Europe’s most dramatic scenery, with great opportunities for walking, bird-watching and adventure holidays. The combination of dramatic, unpolluted nature and a highly distinctive culture recently prompted experts at the respected National Geographic Traveler Magazine to name the Faroe Islands the world’s favourite unspoiled island destination.

Atlantic Airways currently operates a fleet of Avro RJs on links from Vágar to Billund, Copenhagen and Reykjavik. This March it is due to take delivery of a single Airbus A319 that will completely redefine its passenger operations. Not only will it enable the carrier to expand its network, but the aircraft will be fitted with cutting-edge navigation technology to improve service reliability and will be rated for European RNP-AR (Required Navigation Performance, Authorisation Required) approach procedures. This will enable Atlantic Airways’ new aircraft to make a safe approach in poor visibility at the airline's Vágar, Faroe Islands, base, which is home to a short runway which can be affected by low cloud and turbulence in certain weather conditions.

“The remote location of the Faroe Islands, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, we have been recognised as the world's favourite unspoiled islands, but on the other hand, in adverse weather conditions our nearest diversionary airports are in Iceland, Norway and Scotland and this has major implications for both our operational costs and customer convenience,” explained Magni Arge.

In an interview with The HUB last year, Magni Arge confirmed that the A319 would also bring route development opportunities. Although the jet will be initially allocated to the airline’s Copenhagen route, he acknowledged that there are numerous growth options.

“The aircraft will open longer sector options so Spain and destinations like Barcelona, Palma and Alicante could all be served. In the winter we could consider the Canary Islands and even offer flights to East Coast USA if we wanted, although the latter market would be limited. We could also look at ski destinations like Chambery on a seasonal basis and perhaps Portugal will be a market for the future. We could consider operating the type from other markets such as Denmark, Iceland, Scotland and even Greenland,” he said.