merrion street

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has today (Wednesday) welcomed plans by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) to increase capacity from Dublin to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo next year.

It’s the second aviation announcement this week, following the news of a new United Continental route from Dublin to Washington.

"This is a great way for SAS to mark its 45^th anniversary in Ireland. It will improve links between Ireland and Scandinavia and will have clear benefits for business and tourism," Minister Varadkar said.

"Inbound tourism to Ireland from Scandinavia has shown consistent growth in recent times, and passenger numbers on the SAS routes have grown by 6% this year. The airline is also involved in the cooperative marketing initiative with Tourism Ireland, and it expects business and leisure travel on these routes to continue growing in 2012.

"The increased capacity on these routes will tie in with strong Scandinavian interest in Ireland as a premier golfing destination, on the back of the Solheim Cup, as well as a place to enjoy city breaks and touring holidays."

The expanded SAS service is as follows:

• Dublin - Stockholm up to 5 flights a week with a 9% capacity increase

• Dublin - Oslo up to 4 flights a week with a 7% capacity increase

• Dublin - Copenhagen up to 13 flights a week with a 4% capacity increase