Norwegian Airline wants direct routes between Norway and Tokyo, but an old deal between Scandinavian countries and Russia prohibits it. The original 1956 agreement with the then Soviet Union gave SAS Airline an exclusive right to use airspace over Siberia on routes to Asia.
But this autumn, Norwegian Airline and Russian authorities will hold discussions on the matter, reported NRK news.
‘We still want to fly Tromsø to Tokyo direct. There are many Asians and Japanese people who want to visit Tromsø.
There are huge possibilities, including the air-freight market between Troms and Finnmark and Asia’, said The Communications Manager at Norwegian, Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen.
State Secretary, Tom Cato Karlsen of Fremskrittspartiet (Frp) in the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said the plan is to continue the talks with the Russian authorities in the autumn. Previous negotiations were In the summer of 2016.
‘We’ve had good conversations with our neighbours to the east, and conveyed that it is desirable that Norwegian Airline also be allowed to fly over Siberia. It’s up to the Russians to decide who is allowed to fly over their territory.
This is one thing we will address at the meetings this autumn,’ said Karlsen.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
