Oslo Welcomes British Ski Enthusiasts – New Charter Route Delivers World-Class Winter Adventures

Next winter, even more British ski tourists will be heading to Norwegian mountain destinations. TUI UK is launching a dedicated charter route from Birmingham to Oslo Airport for the winter season.

Crystal Ski Holidays (TUI UK) is introducing a new charter route from Birmingham to Oslo Airport for the 2026–27 winter season, in addition to existing routes from London Gatwick and Manchester. The route will be operated by TUI Airways and will commence on Sunday, 13 December 2026.

Crystal Ski works closely with Norway Home of Skiing, the sales and marketing company for Gausta, Norefjell, Geilo, and Beitostølen. They report strong demand for Norwegian ski holidays among British tourists, estimating that six full planes of ski tourists from the UK will land at Oslo Airport during the next winter holidays. In total, the charter flights to Norway Home of Skiing correspond to 81,200 guest nights, and together with guests on scheduled flights, the total is 150,000 guest nights into Norway.

“The growth we are now seeing is solid confirmation that our ski destinations are becoming as sought-after as our main competitors in Europe. This is primarily due to snow reliability, good value for money, and our appeal to guests looking for alpine skiing combined with a genuine winter experience and a diverse range of winter activities. Norefjell, Geilo, Gausta, and Beitostølen have plenty to offer in this respect,” says Trevor De Villiers, Managing Director of Norway Home of Skiing.

Demand for Norwegian Winter Increases

Chairman of Norway Home of Skiing and CEO of Geilogruppen, Roger Espeli, welcomes the news.

“The new direct route from England is extremely important for Geilo. It acts as a gateway, strengthening both charter traffic to our destinations and the volume of regular scheduled flights. The collaboration with TUI, Avinor, and the other destinations gives us great confidence for the future,” says Espeli.

Atle Hovi, CEO of Beito Resort, is among those destinations set to benefit from the new route. He explains that there is a strategic focus on international initiatives to strengthen Norway’s winter offering, and that succeeding with such routes is significant:

“The new charter route strengthens the international initiative and gives the entire destination increased momentum. When we combine volume with international guests who spend the most locally, we increase both local value creation and the export of Norwegian winter,” says Hovi.

Good News for Norwegian Initiatives

Avinor is also working strategically with Norway Home of Skiing to attract more European ski tourists to the Eastern Norway region. Joachim Westher Andersen, Head of Hub and Partnership Development at Avinor, believes Norway as a ski and winter destination has great potential in the future. At the same time, he praises the efforts made by players such as Norway Home of Skiing.

“This is fantastic news for Norway and clear evidence that demand for ski holidays in Norway is on the rise. Avinor’s partner, Norway Home of Skiing, has done a fantastic job in building this demand. That TUI is once again choosing to set up a route to Oslo Airport is a clear signal that Norway is a market they believe in, and that our resorts are of international standard. We look forward to what the future holds,” says Andersen.

Fact box:

• Ski charter routes to Oslo Airport organised by Norway Home of Skiing:

• London Gatwick to Oslo – (Geilo, Beito Resort, Gausta, and Norefjell)

• Manchester to Oslo – (Geilo, Beito Resort, Gausta, and Norefjell)

• Birmingham to Oslo – (Geilo, Beito Resort, Gausta, and Norefjell)

• London Gatwick to Bergen – (Voss, Myrkdalen, and Geilo)

Norway Home of Skiing consists of Geilo, Gausta, Beito Resort, Norefjell, Voss, Myrkdalen, and Narvik.