SAS Scandinavian Airlines will restart its twice-weekly flights between Manchester and Bergen in September. The airline will operate the route on Mondays and Fridays, with Bergen serving as a gateway to Norway’s fjords.

It is also home to the Unesco World Heritage listed Bryggen harbour district, making Bergen one of Europe’s oldest port cities.

Several Norwegian coastal cruise routes running to and from the country’s northernmost tip deep in the Arctic circle operate out of Bergen.

Bergen is well-served from the UK; Wideroe will launch twice-weekly Stansted flights to the city later this month, with Jet2.com and Jet2CityBreaks poised to offer Bergen in spring 2024.

Norwegian Air, meanwhile, flies between Bergen and Manchester.

Bergen-Manchester is one of 10 new or returning European routes announced by SAS on Wednesday (15 March).

It will also resume flying to Tokyo in June, offering three flights a week to the Japanese capital’s Haneda airport, and will launch new routes to New York’s Newark airport.

Erik Westman, SAS executive vice-president network and revenue management, said the move to expand its network came in response to increased demand.