The winter season of air traffic begins: record number of routes to Finnish Lapland

"The increase in leisure travel and the decrease in business travel are an international trend that is also apparent at Finavia airports. Leisure travel to Finland in particular is on the rise, and we can expect a very busy winter season. This winter, there will be a record number of direct international flights to Lapland airports, and seat capacity will also increase sharply at flights to and from Helsinki Airport," says Petri Vuori, Finavia’s Senior Vice President responsible for route development. 

A total of 27 new direct international routes will open at Finavia airports during the 2024–2025 winter season. In winter, flights will be operated from Finavia airports to a total of 130 domestic and international airports. Helsinki Airport has a total of 103 winter destinations. 

"At Finavia, we cooperate continuously with airlines and our regional partners to ensure that the route offering remains comprehensive and Finland's air connectivity remains good. In addition to the new routes, several airlines have extended the flying periods of their winter routes, which is a sign of the growing year-round appeal of Lapland in particular," Vuori says. 

Lapland is accessible year-round 

The winter season will see the opening of a total of 24 new routes to Lapland airports in Rovaniemi, Ivalo, Kittilä and Kuusamo. In addition to scheduled flights, many international charter flights will also be operated during the winter season.  

"The common goal of the Finnish tourism industry is to also develop tourism in Lapland outside the popular winter season. Lapland’s year-round air connectivity is made possible by regular scheduled flights, which we negotiate with airlines and our partners," says Petri Vuori.

There are three new international routes that will open at Lapland airports and continue year-round after the winter season. Ryanair will launch scheduled flights from Milan to Rovaniemi. The Lufthansa Group’s Discover Airlines and Edelweiss Air will start flying to Kittilä Airport: Discover from Frankfurt and Edelweiss from Zürich. 

Slot coordination (Level 2, Schedules Facilitated Airport) will be introduced at Rovaniemi and Kittilä airports this winter. The aim is to make travelling smoother and to even out travel peaks at airports on busy days. In schedules facilitation, airlines submit their wishes for their flight schedule, and the slot coordinator matches the flights to the capacity in accordance with international rules. In Finland, slot coordination was previously only used at Helsinki Airport (Level 3).  

In addition to the new routes, the record winter season is also reflected in seat capacity increases at flights to and from Lapland airports. The number of passengers for Lapland as a whole is expected to increase by about 10% from the previous year, and the number of passengers at Rovaniemi Airport alone is expected to increase by more than 10%. Rovaniemi Airport was recognised as the second best European airport in its size category in July 2024.  

Finnair, a Finnish airline, continues to bring the most passengers to Lapland airports. Finnair has increased the number of passenger seats on its Lapland flights for the winter season, with a total increase of almost 12% compared to last winter. 

See the full list of routes on Finavia's newsroom.

FINAVIA CORP
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