A new destination in a new country for Atlantic Airways

Faroese flag carrier Atlantic Airways has added Milan to the list of destinations served direct from its mid-Atlantic base.

The northern Italian city is the eighth international destination served from Vágar Airport and is the second southern European destination to be linked to the Faroe Islands since the introduction of flights to Barcelona last summer in the wake of the introduction of new Airbus A319 aircraft to its fleet.

Flights operate weekly on Saturdays to and from Milan Malpensa, with a flight time of three and half hours. The direct service is enabled in large measure by Atlantic Airways’ investment in the latest satellite navigation technology, making it possible to operate to and from Vágar in visual and meteorological conditions that were not previously possible.

Besides offering a new southerly destination for Faroese holidaymakers, the airline selected Milan as its first Italian destination in part because of the opportunities to fly direct from one of Italy’s largest and most wealthy cities to a destination that offers something completely different.

CEO Magni Arge said: “People sometimes refer to the Faroe Islands as a Nordic Shangri-La, which the world has not discovered yet. Many Europeans have heard about the Faroe Islands because The Faroe Islands participate in international football – and have scored against both Italy and Spain – but the North Atlantic islands themselves are even more exotic than the football team.

“In 2007 the National Geographic Traveler established a panel of experts whose task it was to choose the world’s most beautiful islands from a list of 111. Most people had expected the panel to choose such exotic islands as Hawaii or Bermuda, but the Faroe Islands took the prize. This was no surprise to us Faroe islanders as our scenery is breathtaking and our culture unspoilt.”

Atlantic Airways was awarded the Airline of the Year 2012/13 Bronze Award by the European Regions Airline Association, partly in recognition of its pioneering and innovative approach, including the introduction of its bespoke satellite navigation aid (RNP AR 0.1), developed with Quovadis, a subsidiary of Airbus, making it the first airline in Europe to introduce such a system.

Mr Arge continued: “Atlantic Airways is an airline that is making a name for itself on the international arena – just like the 18 beautiful islands in the North Atlantic Ocean.”

The airline is confident that the Milan route will be popular and Magni Arge added: “The people of the Faroe Islands enjoy the good weather and sun at southern European destinations, but the Faroe Islanders are also a very hospitable people who welcome with open arms visitors from Italy who want to enjoy a fresh experience.”