Remote, Picturesque Faroe Islands Gaining Nonstop Flights to New York and Paris
Atlantic Airways, the national airline of the Faroe Islands, has announced new nonstop flights between the islands and Paris–Charles de Gaulle airport and New York City. Soon, one of the most otherworldly archipelagoes in the world will be served from two of the planet's most populous cities and raises the possibility that its made-for-Instagram landscapes will see the kind of surge in tourism that Iceland has experienced over the past decade.
In December 2018, Atlantic Airways applied for permission to fly directly from Vágar Airport in the Faroe Islands to New York City. Per a company release, the US Department of Transportation has "tentatively approved the new service and will visit Vágar Airport and Atlantic Airways this summer."
The trip between Vágar and New York would cover 3,060 miles, and would save significant time over present-day options. As of now, to get to the Faroes from New York you must first fly to a point in Europe and connect on SAS or Atlantic Airways.
The airline's current fixed-wing fleet consists of two Airbus A319 jets and one A320, though it's unclear which of those will serve this route. The airline will add two new Airbus A320neo aircraft to its fleet in the coming months. TPG will be keeping an eye on tickets to bring you a full review as soon as possible.
But that's not all. Thanks to a codeshare agreement with Air France, Atlantic Airways will begin three nonstop flights per week between Paris and Vágar as of July 1, 2019. The scheduled service will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until the end of September, followed by two flights a week (Mondays and Fridays) until Christmas. Tickets for the Paris–Vágar route went on sale in December.
The FAE-CDG flight checks in at around 979 miles — roughly the flight distance between Seattle and Los Angeles — and will take around 2.5 hours from takeoff to touchdown.
The Faroe Islands are situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, 200 miles northwest of Scotland and roughly halfway between Norway and Iceland. Home to just 51,000 full-time residents, the Faroe Islands are officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The islands are relatively small, covering just 540 square miles, but are home to magnificent sweeping cliffs, fantastic hiking trails and historic villages.
Vágar Airport, the only airport in the island chain, currently has minimal connectivity to the rest of the world. Atlantic Airways flies to several destinations in Europe; Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flies from Copenhagen.
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Atlantic Airways isn't a member of a points-earning alliance, such as SkyTeam or Star Alliance, but its codeshares with Air France and KLM will benefit FlyingBlue members, as they'll enjoy all of their FlyingBlue benefits (free checked bags, seat selection and priority boarding) on Atlantic Airways flights.
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