The German low-cost carrier (LCC) Eurowings plans to set up a new base at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden for the summer 2022 season. The Lufthansa-owned carrier will expand its range of destinations adding 20 new direct routes in Europe from the Swedish hub, which is operated by Swedavia.
Eurowings decision to set up a base at Arlanda follows Ryanair’s announcement in May that it planned to open a base initially with two aircraft at the airport serving some 20 European routes as well as domestic services to Gothenburg and Malmö. In July, Finnair also revealed its plans to place three aircraft at Arlanda offering intercontinental services and enhancing access to Asia and the US.
“Eurowings’ continued expansion in Sweden entails a major increase in capacity and is a complement to our airports’ existing range of flights on offer,” said Elizabeth Axtelius, Director Aviation Business at Swedavia.
“The fact that Eurowings has now chosen to set up a base at Arlanda is clear evidence of the airline’s strong faith in development opportunities in the largest market in Scandinavia and in the attractiveness of the Stockholm region. This improved access is important to the tourism industry across Sweden. The expansion also suggests further growth can be expected in the low-cost segment of the Swedish market going forward. We have a good collaboration with Eurowings, which we happily look forward to developing in the future.”
The German LCC initially plans to place five aircraft at Arlanda and launch 20 European destinations, of which a couple will be new links for the airport. The base will be the airline’s fourth outside the German-speaking region.
Jens Bischof, CEO at Eurowings commented: “Sweden is a market that fits perfectly with our goal to be the number one European value carrier. Since the pandemic, many travellers are no longer looking first for the cheapest ticket, but for an airline they can unconditionally trust in terms of safety, reliability and social responsibility. With our Lufthansa DNA – for example an attractive network of low-cost direct flights and an unmatched customer service – we can offer just that.”
In other news for Arlanda airport, Ryanair has launched a service to Skelleftea from Arlanda in conjunction with its winter programme. It marks the Irish LCCs third domestic route in Sweden out of a total of 23 new routes.
The new route will begin in December and will be served twice weekly.
