Virgin Atlantic Cargo is extending its cargo-only network to Evenes, operating flights between London Heathrow and Norway for the first time in its history.
The first official flight will depart on Wednesday 3rd February, and the airline is set to offer twice weekly flights on its Boeing 787-9 aircraft offering over 100 tonnes of capacity each week, primarily serving the Norwegian seafood and fish industry.
This new service will offer efficient connections via London Heathrow onto Virgin’s network, with seafood set to travel onwards to various US destinations and other gateways on Virgin’s network.
For exports to the US, the service will allow cargo to reach its destination up to 72 hours faster than current solutions through Oslo. The route expects to carry vast quantities of fresh salmon, as well as cod and crabs.
Flying a wide body aircraft into Harstad/Narvik airport at Evenes posed challenges for the Virgin Atlantic team which they overcame to ensure the route was operationally viable.
Working closely with Kuehne+Nagel counterparts, the teams took part in online training and also operated a test flight Wednesday 27th January as part of the launch preparations.
Key challenges for Virgin Atlantic’s team include limited hours of daylight per day, cold and windy weather with winter temperatures reaching highs of just minus 2 Celsius as well as de-icing requirements.
All pilots took part in special training for the unique approaches and departures they will experience alongside detailed briefings and airfield assessments that they will conduct at the airport.
