The charter operator QTravel has decided to establish charter traffic to Andorra from Skellefteå Airport during the sports holiday week 2022. The trips will go to the popular ski paradises in Grandvalira, Arcalis and Pal / Arinsal. Skellefteå Airport will also be the only departure airport in northern Sweden that offers these trips next winter.

On March 6, 2022, the flight will depart from Skellefteå to ski resorts in Andorra. Andorra is today best known for its incredibly fine and eventful skiing. With slopes located at an altitude of over 2,500 meters, Andorra is thus one of the most snow- and sun-safe ski areas in Europe. With over 300 sunny days a year, there is a high probability of nice ski days. Andorra is also a country that offers a great variety of restaurants, bars, and shopping. You can enjoy culinary experiences served by a mix of French and Spanish cuisine. Andorra is a small country with great experiences located between France and Spain in the mighty Pyrenees mountain range.

In Andorra you will find three ski systems: Grandvalira, Arcalis and Pal / Arinsal.

Grandvalira ski system Grandvalira is the largest ski system in Andorra and offers more than 210 km of pistes. There are 68 state-of-the-art lifts and with 128 slopes designed with different lengths and degrees of difficulty. The size of the ski system and the design of the Pyrenees means that all skiers can find their own challenge, it also makes it easier for the slopes to be wide and always well-groomed. Here you will find World Cup slopes for all alpine disciplines. The World Cup in flying kilometers also takes place here every year.

The lift system has a capacity for over 120,000 people per hour, which makes lift queues very unusual. There is very good off-piste skiing and many areas you can reach by lift, there are also several large fun parks for those who dare. One of the world’s foremost freestyle skiers, Swedish Henrik Harlaut, has moved to Andorra for skiing and now has a fun park named after him. Under the strong sun you can enjoy a wonderful meal on one of the 40’s restaurant terraces located up in the fantastic ski system. With a lift pass, you have access to the entire area and you can easily get through the system. The ski villages of El Tarter, Soldeu, Canillo, Grau Roig, Pas de la Casa and Encamp are part of Grandvalira’s ski system.

Arcalís ski system Arcalís is the world-famous off-piste area where, among other things, some of the world’s best freeride skiers compete. There are also excellent blue and red pistol options. Arcalis is located high alpine and lacks buildings except for some fantastic restaurants.

Vallnord: Pal / Arinsal ski system In addition to red and blue slopes, Pal / Arinsal has several black, well-groomed slopes for those looking for greater challenges. A perfect alternative for conference groups as participants often seek different levels of difficulty.

Here you will also find freeride and freestyle areas. In the ski area there are several nice eateries where you can enjoy your lunch or coffee on large, lovely sun terraces. The ski villages La Massana and Arinsal belong to the Pal / Arinsal ski system.

Experiences & activities From all ski resorts you can easily get to the capital Andorra la Vella by bus. It takes about 15 min from Canillo, 20 min from El Tarter and 25 min from Soldeu. In Pas de la Casa there is a large selection of shopping but if you want to enter the capital it takes about 45 minutes. From Arinsal it takes about 20 min. In Andorra la Vella there are over 2000 duty free shops to shop around in and if you need to replenish your energy there are many really nice restaurants and bars.

Price example for Andorra

• 3-course dinner: from 15 €
• 1 bottle of good Rioja at the restaurant: 10-12 €
• Apres ski: 1 large strong: 3 €
• Simpler lunch on the slopes from 9 € to gourmet lunch from 14 €

Quick facts about Andorra

Size: 468 km² Currency: Euro Languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, French and Portuguese Population: about 70,000 inhabitants Sun days per year: about 300 days Other: Tax-free area

– We are very happy that QTravel chooses Skellefteå as the only departure airport in the north for this establishment. Within our catchment area, there are many ski enthusiasts who certainly long for Andorra’s fine skiing during next year’s sports holiday, says Skellefteå Airport’s CEO Robert Lindberg.

– From Skellefteå, we easily reach all major cities along the Norrland coast, which is optimal for us. In addition, the region’s great growth is very interesting and hopefully we will get a good booking entry which will then mean opportunities for more departures or destinations, says Qtravel’s CEO Ulf Östermark

For more information:

Robert Lindberg CEO Skellefteå Airport 070 551 70 75 robert.lindberg@sft.se
Ulf Östmark CEO QTravel 070-840 22 00 ulf@qtravel.se

Skellefteå Airport is Västerbotten’s second largest airport with a strategic location between Luleå and Umeå. The airport is owned by Skellefteå municipality and has a normal year of about 280,000 passengers per year. The airport offers domestic scheduled flights with daily departures to Arlanda, international scheduled flights to Gdansk and charter services to Andorra, Rhodes, Antalya, Split, Gran Canaria, Phuket, Krabi and Crete.

Quality Travel is a tour operator with almost 40 years of travel industry experience.
We are what we are called. The company has experience of travel production from the early 80s and to Andorra since the late 80s. Since 2009, Qtravel has been representing Andorra in Sweden. In May 2018, Spain’s largest ski resort was also launched, which is also located in the Pyrenees: Baqueira-Beret. Qtravel also has a production of and trips to India with a focus on Ayurveda and its views on health