SAS Opens a New Non-stop Direct Route from Aalborg to New York
Jutland, the western part of Denmark, will now have its first direct route to New York. SAS is opening a brand new route from Aalborg Airport with no less than three weekly departures. It is historic news for both the Jutland business community and leisure travellers, who from the 27th of April next year can fly directly and non-stop from Aalborg to one of the world’s most extraordinary cities.
Early evening on Thursday the 27th of April, Danish history will be written when the first SAS flight heads across the Atlantic to the city of New York, non-stop from Aalborg Airport. It is the first direct flight from Jutland to the US and one of the most concrete examples of the Scandinavian airline’s regional strategy.
A Vast International Demand is Being Fulfilled
A non-stop overseas route to New York is the latest and tangible proof of Aalborg Airport’s position as an international airport. The new route strengthens accessibility to and from Jutland – a need that has been increasing in the past years, which is now finally being fulfilled.
– A direct New York-route is historic great news for Aalborg Airport and for all of Jutland. Over the last few months, we have been in dialogue with large companies such as Grundfos, Vestas, Fibertex, Siemens and large public players such as Aalborg University and Region North Jutland, where it has been clear from day one that the demand for a direct non-stop connection from Jutland to a destination like New York is huge. In addition, major organinsations in the travel industry on each side of the Atlantic have pushed to realize this route, says CEO Niels Hemmingsen and continues:
– A few years ago, Aalborg was placed on top on the 52 Places Traveler list from the New York Times, and there is no doubt that the potential for air travel goes both ways across the Atlantic. We are therefore looking forward to further cooperation with the business community, tour operators, tourist organizations and SAS in particular, who have opened their eyes to the great international potential that Aalborg Airport has.
Directly to “The Big Apple” in 8 hours
It will be SAS’ Airbus 321LR with the configuration for 157 passengers, which will fly non-stop from Aalborg Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport in New York on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from April 27 through October. Departure from Aalborg is in the early evening, and the travelers land in New York late evening local time after between 7 and 8 hours in the air.
– As part of SAS’ strategy to strengthen the regional offer in Scandinavia, we are pleased to add an intercontinental route from Aalborg. We see a demand from secondary cities and are delighted to connect even more parts of the world. The Airbus A321 Long Range is a slightly smaller long-distance aircraft and perfect in size for servicing the regional market. Having a comfortable way of traveling with fewer stops to exciting cities such as New York, is something we believe will be highly valued by our travelers, says Erik Westman, EVP & CCO, Network & Revenue Management at SAS.
New Route Will Lead to Greater Trade Between Denmark and the US
One of the international companies looking forward to using the new route is Fibertex Nonwovens, headquartered in Aalborg. The company has several subsidiaries in the US and therefore has considerable travel activity across the Atlantic:
– The US is one of Denmark’s most important trading partners, and with the new non-stop route, the journey to and from the US will simply be shorter for Jutland’s business community. This is a great advantage for us at Fibertex Nonwovens and for many other companies and organisations, and there is no doubt that this will lead to more investments and greater trade options between Denmark and the US, explains CEO Jørgen Bech Madsen, who in addition being the top manager of Fibertex Nonwovens is also president of the Rebildselskabet, which, among other things, organizes the annual 4th of July celebration in Rebild Bakker.