– It is a big disappointment in the industry, of course. It’s the route we were really looking forward to, says Katja Pettersen, head of tourism at Visit Alta. The direct route from Europe’s second largest airport, Germany’s Frankfurt, to Alta was announced in January this year, to great cheers. Since then, the tourism operators in Alta have set aside a lot of capacity to welcome guests from the south. – It is perhaps still difficult to see the consequences of it all, says Pettersen. She was in contact with Discover Airlines two weeks ago. Then the airline told me that ticket sales were going well, says Pettersen. – That’s why this message came like a bolt from the blue. At this conference in January this year, the new route was announced. There was great jubilation from the tourism operators in Alta. Photo: Jan-Erik Steine / news Did not receive the necessary training The reason why the direct flight from Frankfurt will not land in Finnmark this year is that the pilots have not received the necessary training to fly to and from Alta, according to Avinor. – This applies especially to winter conditions and, as we have understood, requirements for braking when coming in from the east, says Martin Langaas, head of route development in Avinor. Langaas also reacts to the fact that the route is canceled so close to the start. In any case, he believes that safety must come first. – It is complicated to operate in Alta, especially in winter. We must have full respect for the fact that the airline is unable to have all the procedures ready with its pilots in relation to a real start date. Langaas points out that the flight route has not been dropped, but postponed until December 2025. Martin Langaas, head of route development at Avinor, says that it is not usual for a planned flight route to be canceled so close to its start. Photo: Avinor – A blow to the face for many of us Stig Anton Eliassen, general manager of Alta Event, believes that the situation shows little respect for the local tourism players. – It just shows that they have not thought carefully enough about what they have actually done when they started this thing. They should know. They fly all over the world otherwise, not just to Alta. He says that the direct route from Frankfurt was an important project for several local businesses in the tourism industry. – Tourism players in Alta have been standing on their heads to finish their projects. Some have built new because they have invested in it here as well. It’s another slap in the face for many of us. It’s not pleasant. He expects to get more cancellations from tourists in the future, as a result of the news. – It’s just that turnover is going down. Stig Anton Eliassen feels sorry for the tourism companies that invested heavily in the direct Frankfurt-Alta route. Photo: Private Uncertainty for tourism Katja Pettersen in Visit Alta says she has received several phone calls from concerned operators. – We still have many unanswered questions. The real consequences for tourism in Alta and the surrounding area will probably become clearer in the coming weeks. Katja Pettersen, general manager of Visit Alta, wants to praise the local tourism industry for making Alta attractive to European tourists. Photo: Johan Isak Niska / news – We hope that within two weeks we will see which bookings are confirmed, and whether there will be any cancellations as a consequence of the route being postponed. According to Avinor, Discover Airlines is working to rebook all the tickets that have been booked so far. Published 28.10.2024, at 21.46
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Discover Airlines drops the planned direct route between Frankfurt and Alta – news Troms and Finnmark
