BRA will fly a direct route between Skellefteå and Visby during this summer's politicians' week in Almedalen. The route will be the only direct route to Visby from northern Sweden. The flights will be operated with the purchase of 100% biofuel, thereby reducing fossil carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80%.
The Politicians' Week in Almedalen has been a well-attended event over the years with politicians, business and private individuals from all over Sweden. During the pandemic restrictions in recent years, the event has been carried out in a hybrid form and with events in several locations in Sweden. This year, the Almedalens Week is back in place in Visby again.
As a result, the airline BRA has decided to operate two direct flights from Skellefteå and northern Sweden to Visby. The flights will also be operated by purchasing biofuel equivalent to the flights' consumption. The biofuel used by BRA reduces fossil CO2emissions by just over 80 percent, seen from a life cycle perspective. Almedalen Week is an important meeting place for politicians, the public sector and the business community. This year it will be held over five days and all party leaders have said they will be there.
– This is good news, with the growth that is happening in Skellefteå and northern Sweden, this also creates opportunities for Skellefteå. The fact that we now have a direct connection facilitates smoother and more sustainable air travel, while at the same time allowing us to get flexible and customized solutions for us in northern Sweden in the long term, says Robert Lindberg, CEO of Skellefteå Airport.
One of the issues discussed and important during this year's Almedalen is infrastructure for living and residing throughout Sweden.
– The business community in Norrland is dependent on efficient and sustainable infrastructure to be able to continue developing at the pace we are currently at. This flight route shows that with innovative thinking and creativity, you can create new smart communications that the business community demands, says Anders Hjalmarsson, CEO of the Västerbotten Chamber of Commerce.
BRA has chosen to focus on reaching net-zero emissions as early as 2030, as one of the world's first airlines. The net-zero strategy is measured and followed up in accordance with the scientific goals that exist today to achieve below 1.5 degrees of warming.
– Almedalen is very much about discussing future solutions together – not least future sustainable solutions. Together with the business community in Skellefteå, we have chosen to show that the efficient and more sustainable infrastructure of the future is already here, says Maria Fiskerud, Sustainability Manager at BRA and continues:
– It gives both us and the industries working with sustainable solutions in northern Sweden an opportunity to simultaneously follow up and stay within the 1.5 degree target. Skellefteå Airport has been a driving force in getting this initiative in place and is also a driving force in building an efficient and sustainable infrastructure for the business community in northern Sweden.
Since 2018, BRA has offered its customers the opportunity to purchase biofuel for their trips.
Now the next step is being taken, as all tickets for these departures are sold with biofuel.
The fuel will not be refueled on the current flights, but will be refueled a few times a year.
- It works in the same way as when you buy green electricity for your house. You pay for your share of the green electricity in the system. As part of our SBTi, we will, at least once a year, report all measures and refuelings carried out during the year. We are working on how to report this in a simple and educational way. We think it is important to show both the work we do, what our customers contribute and also our partners. Together we make a difference, says Maria Fiskerud.
The flights between Skellefteå and Visby will take place on Saturday, July 2 and Wednesday, July 6 and are bookable.
For more information
Robert Lindberg
CEO Skellefteå Airport BRA Press Office
070-551 70 75 010-722 16 62
robert.lindberg@sft.se press@flygbra.se
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