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Ready for take-off, but ruble fall creates turbulence for Barents route

Who is actually operating the route from Arkhangelsk via Murmansk to Tromsø, Pskovavia or Nordavia?

Permission is finally granted to reopen the only cross-border flight from Northern Russia to Tromsø in Norway. The airliner operating the route, however, needs economic support before boarding calls can be announced.

Location

The Arkhangelsk to Tromsø - via Murmansk - route has for two decades been operated by the same An-24 propellers. Under different brandings the aircraft has connected people in the Barents Region. Always based in Arhangelsk, the Russian airliners have changed names; from Aeroflot to Arkhangelsk Airlines to Aeroflot-Nord to Nordavia. 

“The flight connection Tromsø-Murmansk-Arkhangelsk has been of invaluable importance to establish and maintain the close ties and to the Barents cooperation in general,” writes Line Fusdahl, Chair of Troms County Government in a letter to Arkhangelsk Governor Igor Orlov. 

Today, it is Pskovavia that operates the plane, but tickets are still to be bought from Nordavia.

NOK 2 million in annual loss
“Nordavia lost money on this route, around NOK 2 million (€226.000) annually. Nordavia was big and could cover the loss. Pskovavia is a small local airliner with four An-24 planes and cannot cover such loss,” says Alexander Galitski to BarentsObserver. He is Tromsø airport representative for both Nordavia and Pskovavia.

The route was forced to close down last autumn as Norwegian civil aviation authorities no longer accepted that Pskovavia was flying on the license hold by Nordavia. 

After both airliners and Russian aviation authorities agreed to transfer the license to Pskovavia, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Norway last week approved the application for the current winter program. 

Economic crisis
Alexander Galitski, however, says the route does need economic support before it can be reopened.

Boarding to the An-24 aircraft operated by Pskovavia at Murmansk airport.

In Arkhangelsk, there ain’t gonna be easy to get financial support. Sources close to the administration says to BarentsObserver that they know nothing about any need for subsidizing the route. Because budget deficite is tremendous, Arkhangelsk has difficulties on finding resources to support local air light and railway routes. Refering to the Tromsø route, one source says “This flight was always profitable.”  

Finding subsidies in Murmansk can be even harder. “The economic situation is quite difficult in the region and it makes it challenging to give it to a company with home airport in Arkhangelsk,” one source close to the administration says to BarentsObserver.

“The biggest problem for this flight is that it’s international - it makes it almost impossible to subsidise the route from the regional budget.”

In October 2014, Murmansk Oblast Governor Marina Kovtun and Chair of Troms County Government Line Fusdahl signed a renewed cooperation agreement, where transport and communication is highlighted as one of the main areas.

“Major setback to Barents cooperation”
Line Fusdahl with Troms County says she do hope the route will open again in the near future.

Marina Kovtun and Line Fusdahl

The cooperation agreement between Murmansk Oblast and Troms County was signed on October 25th, 2014 by Marina Kovtun (left) and Line Fusdahl.

“Reliable, regular, safe and affordable flight connections in the Barents region are a key factor for further development of the Barents Region. To lose the flight connection Tromsø-Murmansk-Arkhangelsk on a permanent basis would be a major setback to the Barents cooperation and to the contact between our regions,” Line Fusdahl says.

Troms County Administration is financially supporting the newly opened airlink between Oulu, Luleå and Tromsø, a route connecting northern Norway with Sweden and northern Finland.