A New Flight Route Direct to The Dolomites This Winter
Getting to the Dolomites, arguably the most stunning mountains and best ski areas in Europe, has always been rather problematic from the UK. But that’s set to change this winter with the launch of a new direct service between London and the region’s main city of Bolzano by Italian airline SkyAlps.
The new route will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, and take passengers from London Stansted to Bolzano, right next to the vast Dolomiti Superski region with its 1,200km of ski slopes and its famous resorts like Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Cortina d’Ampezzo, in just about two hours. Once in Bolzano, most ski areas are 30-90 minutes away, a fraction of the time possible on traditional routes.
The new service is being promoted as “the world’s greatest ski lift” and for the many skiers who already know just how good the ski areas of the Dolomites that description is spot on.
© IDM Südtirol-Alto Adige/Alex Filz
It means that skiers, snowboarders and everyone else wanting to get to this beautiful area, almost as famous for its winter sunshine as its great snow conditions, will no longer need to take lengthy transfers from bigger airports more distant from the Dolomites such as Milan, Venice or Innsbruck anymore, and will be able to enjoy their ski holidays in the Dolomites as soon as they land in Bolzano.
As well as its vast ski region with 1,200km of perfectly prepared piste served by nearly 500 state-of-the-art lifts within all that stunning mountain scenery, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, most skiers also fall in love with the Dolomites because of the warm, friendly welcome and relaxed atmosphere. The fabulous Italian food (ranging from fresh pizza and pasta to alpine cuisine is just the start), high value and of course wonderful coffee are just the icing on top.
The Dolomites is home to dozens of ski areas of all shapes and sizes with something for every taste and a full calendar of events throughout the ski season. World Cup races are staged in Alta Badia and Val Gardena in December and there are music and food festivals running later in the winter.
The Sellaronda, a 23km circuit of runs linking the Badia, Fassa and Gardena Valleys is one of the must-skis of world skiing and opens up a region of 500km of inter-linked ski runs, one of the planet’s three largest. Lift investments ahead of the Cortina Milan Winter Olympics in 2026 also means you can now ski for about 30km from Cortina to Val Gardena using ski lifts and groomed pistes the whole way, the longest route of its kind in the world. This route also includes the mythical Hidden Valley descent, another that every skier must do at least once (and will want to do again as soon as they reach the bottom!)
The new SkyAlps service starts on December 13th, just as the season gets going before the busy Christmas and New Year weeks and will continue every week through to April 14th, a fortnight after Easter and the latest end of the school Easter holidays. Tickets can be booked now for the entire winter season.
SkyAlps is an Italian airline with its headquarters and hub at Bolzano Airport. Its modern fleet consists of DASH-8 Q-400 aircraft which have a maximum capacity of 76 seats that save up to 50 per cent in emissions compared to other regional jets and generate less noise during take-off and landing.
The small airport at Bolzano has just two gates – eliminating queues and enabling a very fast turnaround time, so none of the traffic congestion, long check-in queues and slow baggage reclaim that have sadly become the norm at the overcrowded big city airports in the Alps.
Flights will depart Stansted on Sundays at 14.25 and arrive into Bolzano at 18:00, and on Wednesdays at 16.05, arriving into Bolzano at 19.40.
Return flights from Bolzano will depart at 13.40 on Wednesdays and arrive in Stansted at 15:20, or on Sundays depart at 12 noon and arrive into Stansted at 13.40
Whilst SkyAlps is a premium option, the airline offers excellent value, with seat prices starting at €184 each way. The experience on board is an enjoyable one, offering complimentary regional delights including a wine list with awarded wines every month.