Scandinavian Airlines SAS will launch the Vaasa—Stockholm connection earlier than announced. The first flight will depart on 3 April, and the tickets will be released for sale on 10 February. The connection is operated by three weekly flights during one week before Easter and a week after Easter. There will be five flights per week from week 16 onwards.

SAS is going to fly the Vaasa–Stockholm route five times a week with the CRJ-900 jet, which accommodates 90 passengers with a flight time of 45 minutes. It is a welcomed addition to the highly requested flight alternatives to and from Vaasa.

 – There is an increasing demand for flight connections to and from Vaasa, and we are happy to offer direct flights to Stockholm already before Easter. The timetable will allow good connections to and from Stockholm and further out in our strong, Scandinavian network and the rest of the world, says Niko Ek, Head of Sales for Europe at SAS.

– We are delighted that SAS is taking forward the opening of the Vaasa—Stockholm connection. We are aware of the need for this route from both the perspective of businesses and individuals. It offers great travel options locally to the Stockholm region, as well as further to the Nordic countries, Europe, and the rest of the world. SAS starts with five weekly flights, and we will focus on increasing the passenger numbers and the number of flights in the future. The region needs good flight connections, and we hope that travellers will now use our airport and its possibilities, says Peter Källberg, Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK. He serves as a liaison to the airlines and is a coordinator of the regional aviation strategy group.

– There have been good discussions between the region, the airline and Finavia, and the result can be seen now. The survey we carried out last autumn in cooperation with the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce and the regional entrepreneurial organisations also provided a solid basis for demonstrating that the actual demand for this flight connection exists, says Källberg.

– This news was more than welcome. The region's industry and the export-oriented businesses need the route to Stockholm and further out to the world now that the world has opened up properly after the pandemic. The region is about to see historically significant industrial investments, which is a very important and strong signal for the investing companies. Good connections are necessary for everyone, says Mikael Hallbäck, Director of the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce.