Hurtigruten Svalbard and TUI Cruises are now extending a helping hand to strike-resistant air passengers in Longyearbyen on Svalbard. On Sunday, the cruise ship “Mein Schiff 3” will visit Longyearbyen. And since the ship has 80 vacant cabins on board, these are now offered to both tourists and permanent residents who cannot get to the mainland due to the pilot strike in SAS. On Sunday evening, the ship will return to the mainland, with stops in Honningsvåg, Tromsø and Ålesund, respectively, before moving on to Germany, confirms CEO of Hurtigruten Svalbard, Per Brochmann. Per Brochmann is head of Hurtigruten Svalbard Photo: Line Nagell Ylvisåker / news – We have an incredible number of stranded and desperate tourists on Svalbard, who want to return to the mainland and their homelands. We have also offered permanent residents this opportunity, says Brochmann to news. Hundreds of people affected Several hundred people on Svalbard have been affected by the pilot strike in SAS. The company usually has nine weekly departures between Longyearbyen and the mainland. Now only Norwegian flies ordinary routes, with three departures a week. The first available ticket is at the end of July, the overview shows on the company’s own website. During the weekend, stranded charter tourists in Greece, among other places, will be flown home by SAS. But this exception from the pilot strike does not currently apply to Svalbard, the leader of the Norwegian SAS pilots’ association, Roger Klokset, stated on Friday. Thus, air passengers on Svalbard are at the mercy of help from others. – We have tried to argue for a long time with SAS that we are just as stranded up here as those who are stranded by the Mediterranean. We can not just sit in a car or on a train, says Brochmann. Hope to get along One of those who are now trying to get to the mainland with the cruise ship on Sunday night, is the miner Karl Magne Faksdal. He was actually going on holiday with a SAS plane until Monday night. Now it can be sailed instead. – I travel down to the mainland once a year on holiday, so it’s annoying to suddenly be exposed to a strike. But I understand why they are on strike, says Faksdal to news. Mein Schiff arrives in Longyearbyen on Sunday morning. Photo: Trond Moksnes A number of cruise ships are expected to Svalbard in the next few days. If the strike continues, it is relevant to also ask these ships about available seats for strike-fixed air passengers, says Per Brochmann in Hurtigruten Svalbard. The trip to the mainland with “Mein Schiff 3” costs 2000 kroner per cabin per night, says the director, who currently does not have an exact overview of how many people will use the offer. – But the response has been very good, says Brochmann, who has also been given the green light by the Governor for the scheme.
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Evacuating strike-resistant air passengers on Svalbard with cruise ships – news Troms and Finnmark
