Direct scheduled flights between Shetland and Norway will take off for the summer season on Sunday 3 July.

The scheduled air service between Sumburgh Airport and Oslo is being operated by Norwegian regional airline Wideroe, a division of SAS, with 50-seat Dash 8 regional turboprop aircraft.

Return flights to Sumburgh from Oslo will operate twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, from Sunday 3 July until Sunday 14 August. Flights will depart Oslo at 1115 (local time) and arrive at Sumburgh at 1205. The flight will then depart Sumburgh at 1230, arriving at Oslo at 1515.

The service was launched last year and carried almost 1,100 passengers during July and mid August 2004.

Nigel Flaws, Sumburgh Airport manager said: “Wideroe’s summer flights were a great success last year with load factors of more than 80%. Tickets have been selling well and we look forward to a successful operation over the coming weeks.”

“There is potential to build more east-west air links between Shetland, Scandinavia and the Faroes and last year’s successful summer programme with Wideroe demonstrated that there is a market there for this type of service.

“This summer’s flights will be good for tourism and business in Shetland and with the airport’s runway extension due to be completed by next autumn that will open up opportunities to extend this type of service. Rather than just a six-week programme of flights we are looking to develop new routes that will operate on a year-round basis supported by the fact that we will be able to handle larger aircraft without weight restrictions,” said Mr Flaws.

For flight and booking information visit the www.wideroe.no website.

In the year ending 31 March 2005, Sumburgh Airport handled 116,090 passengers and 8,884 aircraft movements.

ENDS