Football drives demand for Norway to North West flights

A surge in interest in English football and a demand for UK flights has led to SAS introducing a new direct service from Stavanger, in Norway, to Manchester.

The service will operate all year round, with two departures each week on Mondays and Fridays from £73 each way, or from £127 return in SAS Go Light, the airline’s fare which includes a carry-on bag only, as well as several services to save time, including mobile check-in and seat selection.

Clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Leeds United have large groups of supporters in Norway, with a recent surge attributed to the appointment last season of Norway’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Manchester United.

Torbjørn Wist, financial director of SAS, said: “There is tremendous interest in English football and now SAS is creating additional opportunities for even more Norwegians to be able to travel to see their favourite teams in action in the famous stadiums, in a way that is fast and convenient. We are the airline with the most flight connections between Scandinavia and Manchester.”

He added: “We have been enthralled by Liverpool’s sporting success and the popular arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Manchester United, and both have inspired many Norwegians to travel to the matches. We are delighted to be able to respond to this by introducing so many direct flights with SAS.”