New direct flights between New York and Gothenburg

The business community in western Sweden has long wished for non-stop flights to the US, and the reasons are easy to understand. There are around 200 US-owned companies in the Gothenburg region and they employ 7,500 people here. The US is also Gothenburg’s largest export market. 

“This is a very good Christmas present for Gothenburg. New York has been at the top of our region’s companies' wish list for many years and improves our trade opportunities with the US. We haven't had a direct route to New York since the 80s,” says Henrik Einarsson, director of establishment and investment services at Business Region Göteborg.

Newark Liberty International Airport is located in New Jersey, 22 kilometres from Manhattan, New York. From here, there are also many connecting flights to other parts of the US. Located on the east coast, Newark also offers good accessibility to many of the top US universities. In addition, large West Swedish companies, including SKF, Essity, AstraZeneca and Volvo-owned Mack Trucks, have operations in Greater Philadelphia, south-west of Newark.

“Gothenburg is developing strongly with more and more global companies operating here and more on their way. At the same time, we have skills shortages in a number of areas and need to attract international talent to our innovation environments to realise their potential. For Gothenburg to be attractive internationally, our infrastructure needs to grow in step with the economy,” says Henrik Einarsson. 

Gothenburg - a popular destination for American tourists

American tourists will also benefit from the new service. According to Statistics Sweden and the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, American tourists accounted for 119,000 guest nights in the Gothenburg region between January and October 2022. 

“The strong US dollar makes Sweden even more interesting for investments and trade, as well as tourism. Considering we are entering a recession, the new route is positive as it may lead to more visits from business and leisure travelers, which is good news, in particular, for our hospitality sector,” says Henrik Einarsson.

For SAS, the direct route between Gothenburg and New York is part of a strategic investment to strengthen the regional offering in Scandinavia. 

“We see a demand from secondary cities and are delighted to connect even more parts of the world. The Airbus A321 Long Range is a slightly smaller long-distance aircraft and perfect in size for servicing the regional markets. Having a comfortable way of traveling with fewer stops to exciting cities such as New York, is something we believe will be highly valued by our travelers,” says Erik Westman, EVP & CCO, Network and Revenue Management, SAS.