The airline Edelweiss is expanding its route network and capacities to meet the growing demand for long-distance travel and special holiday experiences.
With the addition of Luleå in Swedish Lapland and São Vicente and Praia in Cape Verde to its flight schedule, Edelweiss is opening up new and fascinating destinations for travelers. At the same time, existing long-haul connections will be significantly expanded through the use of additional wide-body aircraft and frequencies will be increased on numerous short- and medium-haul routes, particularly in Southern Europe and North Africa. This strategic expansion will enable passengers to reach an even greater variety of destinations and benefit from more non-stop flights and more flexible travel options.
Luleå: A Nordic winter fairytale in Swedish Lapland
The northern Swedish city of Luleå is the newest addition to the Edelweiss route network and promises travelers classic Lapland experiences. Similar to its well-known Finnish counterparts, Luleå offers the opportunity to marvel at the Northern Lights, take dog sledding trips, and explore the snowy landscape on cross-country skis. A special unique selling point of Luleå, however, is its unique location on the frozen sea, which makes for unique winter activities. Here, adventure seekers can take car rides on the ice or experience tours on an icebreaker, promising an unparalleled nature experience.
In addition to the attractive winter activities, Luleå is also a culturally interesting place. With its Old town, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed church village, the city offers insights into the region's history and traditions. Luleå's well-developed infrastructure makes it an ideal starting point for winter tours through Swedish Lapland. From here, other fascinating places can be easily reached, whether towards the Finnish border or further north to destinations such as Kiruna and Abisko. The latter is widely considered one of the best places to observe the impressive natural spectacle of the Northern Lights. The inclusion of Luleå in the Edelweiss route network reflects the growing popularity of travel to the far north and opens up new opportunities for winter tourism.
Cape Verdean diversity: From São Vicente and Praia to the island paradises
For several years, Edelweiss has successfully served the Cape Verde islands of Sal and Boa Vista, which are particularly known for beach holidays and water sports. With the recent addition of Sao Vicente and Praia The airline is now opening up two additional destinations that are ideal starting points for island hopping on the archipelago.
São Vicente and its neighboring island of Santo Antão, easily accessible by ferry, are considered true nature and hiking paradises. Many tours of the Cape Verde Islands begin here and continue through various islands to the more established destinations of Sal or Boa Vista. This allows travelers to explore the diverse landscapes and cultures of the Cape Verde Islands in more depth.
BeachThe capital on the island of Santiago forms the political and economic center of the archipelago. Santiago itself is considered the most culturally interesting island in Cape Verde and offers diverse insights into the rich history and everyday life of the islanders. From Praia, the neighboring island of Fogo, with its impressive volcano, can also be reached, another highlight for nature lovers and adventurers. The expansion of the offering in Cape Verde with these two new destinations reflects the growing demand for authentic and diverse travel experiences and enables Edelweiss to create a more comprehensive offering for this unique island paradise.
Significant capacity expansion on long-haul routes
Edelweiss’ long-haul flights are experiencing a major boost thanks to the commissioning of the third and fourth Airbus A350 Numerous innovations and expansions. These modern wide-body aircraft enable a significant increase in capacity and the introduction of more non-stop flights, significantly improving travel comfort for passengers.
This is how the trend destinations Muscat and Salalah in Oman now offered continuously from September to May. After a three-year break, the popular destination Colombo in Sri Lanka will be served non-stop again and will also have a second weekly flight, further increasing the attractiveness of this destination. Frequencies will also be increased in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia: After Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) will now offer three weekly flights, Puerto Plata and Montego Bay (Jamaica) will each have two weekly connections starting in mid-December. The frequency to Cape Town (South Africa) will be increased to five weekly flights, and Phuket (Thailand) will be served four times a week starting in January. A notable innovation is that all Maldives flights Now non-stop, optimizing travel time and comfort for travelers to this island paradise. These investments in the long-haul fleet and the expansion of flight offerings are a direct response to the growing demand for high-quality long-haul travel and the development of new markets.
Expansion of short- and medium-haul routes in Southern Europe and North Africa
Edelweiss' main focus on short- and medium-haul routes is also on significantly expanding capacity, particularly in Southern Europe and North Africa. Canary Islands will receive additional frequencies during peak demand months: Gran Canaria and Tenerife will now be served up to eleven times a week, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura up to four times, and La Palma up to twice a week. This reflects the continued popularity of these destinations, which are particularly appreciated by travelers from colder regions during the winter months.
Bilbao in Spain is now available throughout the winter, while frequencies to Palma de Mallorca to up to six flights per week. Towards the east, popular destinations in the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean will receive additional capacity: Pristina (Kosovo) now up to 14 weekly flights, Skopje (North Macedonia) up to four, Split (Croatia) up to three and Larnaca (Cyprus) up to eight. Tbilisi in Georgia, newly added in April, is now also served in winter. Catania (Sicily) and Lamezia (Calabria) in Italy will be served continuously with several weekly flights, improving connections to these popular Italian regions.
In Morocco Marrakech has up to six weekly flights and Agadir has two weekly flights. Egypt Hurghada will be increased to up to 13 weekly connections, Marsa Alam to four. Sharm El Sheikh will be served twice, Luxor once, and Giza/Cairo Sphinx will also be served twice a week with a flight schedule optimized for cultural tours. This demonstrates Edelweiss' commitment to increasing its offerings of popular beach destinations and cultural tours in North Africa.
The connection to destinations in the far north: Evenes/Lofoten will receive a second weekly connection in the second half of winter. For the Finnish destinations Rovaniemi and Ivalo, the season start will be brought forward to early December to better utilize the winter season. Service will continue to be provided to Kittilä, Kuusamo, and Tromsø in Norway, as well as Reykjavik in Iceland. Connections will also be increased in the United Kingdom: Bristol will now have two weekly connections in February in addition to the summer flights, and the number of flights to Edinburgh will be further increased.
Finally, on seasonal routes such as Heraklion, Kalamata, Antalya, Cagliari, and Ponta Delgada, the popular autumn seasons will be extended into November with additional flights. These comprehensive adjustments and expansions of the short- and medium-haul flight schedule are a clear sign that Edelweiss is responding flexibly to changing demand and continuously optimizing its offerings to offer travelers a wide range of attractive destinations and flight options.
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