Czech carrier Smartwings has moved early to lock in leisure and business demand for the 2026-27 winter season, announcing two new twice-weekly services from Václav Havel Airport Prague to Venice-Marco Polo Airport and to Bergen, Norway. The flights – scheduled to start on 22 October 2026 for Venice and on 1 November 2026 for Bergen – will be operated by Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, offering 189 seats in a single-class layout. Both routes fill conspicuous gaps in Prague’s winter network: Venice has been absent since 2022, while Bergen has never had a nonstop winter link to the Czech capital. Airport operator Prague Airport welcomed the announcement, noting that Northern Italy and Western Norway are two of the fastest-rebounding outbound markets for Czech travellers and important inbound segments for conference tourism and ski holidays respectively. The Venice route is timed for weekend city-break traffic as well as connections to the Adriatic cruise season, while Bergen targets Norwegian holiday-makers heading to Central-European Christmas markets and Czechs seeking fjord and Northern-Lights packages. For corporate mobility managers the additions create same-day connectivity options that previously required connections through Vienna, Copenhagen or Amsterdam, cutting typical door-to-door journey times by two to three hours and eliminating the risk of missed connections during winter weather disruptions. Smartwings will offer through-ticketing with codeshare partner Czech Airlines, allowing loyalty accrual and onward interline to SkyTeam carriers. Tourism boards on both ends have pledged joint marketing budgets: Visit Czechia will run digital campaigns in Western Norway, while Veneto’s regional promotion agency will highlight connections to the Dolomites and Venice Carnival. Forwarders also expect incremental belly-hold capacity for high-value perishables such as Norwegian salmon and Italian pharmaceuticals. With these launches Smartwings’ Prague winter network grows to 48 destinations, reinforcing Prague’s status as the primary Central-European origin for low-cost but full-service hybrid operations. Slots filed with Eurocontrol indicate the airline is evaluating a third Nordic addition – Trondheim – pending aircraft deliveries in early 2027.
Source: Travel and Tour World
