OREANDA-NEWS. On June 1st, 2016, RusLine airlines will launch regular services from Saint Petersburg to Oslo, the capital of Norway. The new route, tourism opportunities in Norway, and new developments in Pulkovo airport’s summer schedule were presented to the St Petersburg tourist community and the media at a business breakfast, on April 29th, 2016. The event was organized by Innovation Norway Russia with the support of the Embassy of Norway in the Russian Federation and the Norwegian Consulate General in St Petersburg together with RusLine airlines and Northern Capital Gateway, the Pulkovo airport’s managing company.

Heidi Olufsen, the Consul General of Norway in St. Petersburg, remarked, “We are very glad that direct flights between St. Petersburg and Oslo are to be resumed. Long-standing business and cultural ties connect the Northern capital of Russia to the capital of Norway, and direct flights will certainly contribute to their strengthening. A direct flight will make it possible for businessmen to use their time as efficiently as possible, and reductions in travel time will allow tourists to spend more interesting days in Norway”.

Evgeniy Ilyin, Northern Capital Gateway’s Chief Commercial Officer, said, “The resumption of flights to Oslo is a significant event for our airport, the residents of St. Petersburg, and the North-western region of Russia. The capital of Norway is one of the popular European destinations in the Pulkovo route network with passenger traffic growing annually. In 2015, more than twenty-two thousand used the direct flights, which is an amount 27% higher than in 2014. Taking into account the long-lasting, strong relationships developed between Russia and Norway, we are confident that the new services will be in high demand—stimulating the growth of tourist and business streams on both sides”.

Consul General of Norway on St Petersburg Ms. Heidi Olufsen (on the left) welcomes the new St Petersburg — Oslo services

The services between St. Petersburg and Oslo had been suspended since October 2015. The new flights will be operated four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays lasting until the end of the summer season. Comfortable Bombardier CRJ-200 planes will be used for the flights. The travel time from St. Petersburg to Oslo is 1 hour 55 minutes and 1 hour 40 minutes for the route back. Tickets are already on sale with round trip airfare starting from €199.

Alexander Krutov, the Deputy Director-General of Commerce for RusLine airlines, emphasized, “It is a great honor and a great responsibility for us to open the Pulkovo ? Oslo route together with our long-term partner Northern Capital Gateway LLC. The first sales results have already confirmed the route’s relevance. Norway attracts Russian tourists with its amazing nature, distinctive cities, and picturesque views. Transit time and convenient schedules are some of the most decisive factors for travelers”.

The flights to Oslo can be popular both with fans of long journeys and among those who want to escape from the work rush for a couple of days. Olga Philippenko, Director of Tourism at Innovation Norway Russia, noted, “People from North-western Russia are traditionally active in travelling to Scandinavia. Many people like to go on short weekend trips, so-called ‘city breaks’. Oslo is perfect for this purpose, as the city boasts many museums, festivals, great restaurants, and parks. Additionally, you can go on a fjord cruise right from Oslo once having purchased the most famous tour ‘Norway in a Nutshell’. Also, a huge number of airports in Norway, even in the most remote corners of the country, are connected with Oslo via convenient flights. Therefore, the capital can serve as an excellent starting point for getting to any Norwegian region”.

Norway is a popular destination both with long journeys fans and lovers of short city breaks

RusLine has been working at Pulkovo airport since 2010. In 2015, the airline served more than one hundred and twenty-five thousand passengers at St Petersburg airport. RusLine has already three times received the status of the most successfully developing regional carrier operating from Pulkovo. The company received recognition at the annual LED Together award ceremony as one of the best airlines operating in Pulkovo. In the summer season of 2016, the airline’s route network from St Petersburg already includes five destinations: Vilnius, Voronezh, Kirov, Lipetsk and Penza. Oslo will be the second international destination serviced by RusLine from Pulkovo.