SAS launches new direct route to Beirut from Stockholm Arlanda

SAS is now expanding its offering from Stockholm Arlanda Airport with another non-stop service. During the summer 2019, starting on 30^th June, SAS will fly between Stockholm and Beirut twice weekly through to 7^th September. Beirut is a popular destination from Stockholm, and passenger volume has increased sharply, about 50 per cent, over the past three years.

SAS’s new non-stop service to Beirut from Stockholm, which starts June 30^th, allows even better connectivity between the two cities. Beirut is one of the oldest cities in the world and offers a wide range of experiences: well-preserved castles, historic churches and mosques, beautiful beaches and the world-famous Lebanese cuisine. Passenger volume between the two cities has increased sharply over the past few years and is up about 50 per cent since 2015. Most passengers on this route are leisure travellers, and more than half of them travel to visit friends and family. Tourism is also a major reason for travel.

“We are pleased that SAS has now chosen to develop traffic between Sweden and Lebanon since there is a need for improved connectivity between the countries. We therefore welcome this direct route to Beirut from Stockholm Arlanda, which enables both Swedes and Lebanese to travel between the countries more conveniently,” said Elizabeth Axtelius, Aviation Business Director at Swedavia.

“We see increased demand for flights to Beirut from Scandinavia, and it is gratifying that we can now offer an attractive timetable for our passengers from Stockholm Arlanda. Beirut is an exciting holiday destination, and many people in Scandinavia also have ties to the region,” said Karl Sandlund, EVP Commercial at SAS.

Climate change is a crucial issue for aviation, and SAS is carrying out intensive work to renew and update its fleet in order to reduce fuel consumption and thus emissions.

“It is vital to transform aviation so that travel is more sustainable, and SAS’s goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 25 per cent by 2030. This is being done primarily by modernising our fleet and using an increased share of bio fuel,” said Karl Sandlund.

The aircraft types serving the direct route will be Airbus 320neo and Boeing 737-800.Departures will be on Wednesdays and Sundays through mid-August. After that, departures will be on Wednesdays and Saturdays through September 7^th 2019.

For further information, please contact Swedavia’s press office at +46 (0)10-109 01 00 or press@swedavia.se