Bristol Airport today announced it is to introduce direct flights to the Swedish capital Stockholm next summer – adding another major European city to its departure board and bringing a potential £1m to the regional economy.
The twice-weekly service will be operated by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) from June 30 to August 15. 
SAS will operate the service on Mondays and Fridays to target the long weekend leisure break market.
The route’s strong inbound potential has also been recognised by local and national tourist boards, with VisitEngland, Bath Tourism Plus and Destination Bristol supporting Bristol Airport and SAS in promoting the new service. It is estimated that tourists and business people using the service could contribute more than £1m for the local economy.
There have been no direct flights from the South West to Stockholm for five years.
VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: “This route not only gives Swedish visitors a great link to Bristol, it also provides convenient access to Bath, the Cotswolds and the rest of South West England. This fits with our focus on promoting regional airports as gateways to great English attractions outside London.”
Bristol Airport chief executive officer Robert Sinclair added: “This is a great example of a direct service which not only improves connectivity for the South West, but brings valuable visitor spend to the tourism sector in this region as well.
“Today’s announcement by SAS also marks the return of this famous airline brand to the South West market after a five year absence.”
Some 5.9m passengers used Bristol Airport last year, making it the UK’s fifth largest airport outside London and the ninth largest in the UK.
It is the only airport in the UK’s top ten to achieve growth each year since the end of 2009. In August it recorded the busiest month in its history, handling more than 700,000 passengers.
The number of foreign residents using the airport has almost trebled in the past decade, with more than a million journeys made by overseas visitors in 2012.
Planning permission is in place to develop its facilities to handle 10m passengers a year.
