MSP Welcomes New Aberdeen to Oslo Service

Local MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed the announcement by airline BMI Regional of a new scheduled service between Aberdeen and the Norwegian capital Oslo, which will start operating on 28 October this year.

The new route announcement is the latest in a series of positive moves by the airline in the Scottish and Norwegian markets.

The confirmation comes just weeks after BMI Regional launched direct, scheduled flights between Aberdeen and Kristiansund in Norway. Earlier this month the airline also announced that it will operate scheduled services between Stavanger and northern Norway from January 2014. There are currently no direct flights between Aberdeen and Oslo.

Visitors to Oslo will find a range of cultural and natural attractions. The city is ranked number one in terms of quality of life amongst European cities. The Oslo Opera House is the city’s newest landmark and the largest cultural building in Norway, matching the artistic heritage found elsewhere in the city which was home to the playwright Henrik Ibsen and artist Edvard Munch.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson said:

“This is excellent new for the North-east and indeed Scotland as a whole. While I understand that demand from the oil and gas industry has, unsurprisingly, been key to BMI Regional’s announcement, it also opens up a range of new opportunities for leisure travellers in the North-east.

“As Scotland seeks to rejoin the international family of nations, it’s only right and proper that we should have transport links directly to the capital of our neighbours across the North Sea. I wish BMI every success with this new venture.”

Scottish Government Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Fergus Ewing said:

“This new service is great news for Aberdeen, the North-east and Scotland. This new air route with Norway will help build business links between oil services companies in both countries and it also provides a boost for tourism in the north-east. It further underlines the importance of Aberdeen Airport to the economy of the North-east and the strong performance of the Airport in recent years. I congratulate everyone involved in securing this important new service.”