Rovaniemi Airport greets its one millionth passenger with a fun surprise

“This is a historic day at Rovaniemi Airport. This moment is the culmination of decades of work that has been done together with the airport community and our partners. A warm thank you to all the people who have worked for Rovaniemi Airport, air traffic and Lapland's attractiveness over the years,” says Johan Juujärvi, Finavia's Airport Manager at Rovaniemi Airport.

Demand in the Lapland region has grown strongly among tourists in recent years. Airlines have responded to the demand by opening new routes and strengthening existing connections. Rovaniemi has even taken its first steps in international year-round tourism. Both exotic and classic, Lapland is now easily accessible from Southern and Central Europe on direct scheduled flights. In addition, transfer travelling with the comprehensive routes offered by Helsinki Airport enables smooth travel to Lapland from around the world.

The million-passenger milestone was already close last year when the number of passengers at Rovaniemi Airport increased by 30 per cent, with nearly 949,000 passengers passing through the airport. This year, Rovaniemi Airport had a total of over 810,000 passengers in January–November 2025, which was 20 per cent more than at the same time last year.

In January–November 2025, 48 per cent of all passengers were on international flights. In terms of volume, the majority of passengers, 52 per cent, arrived from Helsinki Airport in January-November, but, as in previous years, the number of passengers on international flights has increased. The majority of passengers on international flights arrived from the UK (21%), France (17%) and Italy (13%). A fair number of passengers also arrived from countries such as Germany and Ireland. The largest number of international flights in January–November came from the UK, with a total of more than 300 flights to Rovaniemi.

Urho – the one millionth passenger's adopted reindeer

The one millionth passenger, Tyla, who resides in Dubai, arrived at Rovaniemi Airport on a Finnair’s flight from Helsinki on Friday 19 December. Rovaniemi Airport Manager Johan Juujärvi received the passenger along with her family in the gate area. To mark the occasion, Finavia presented the passenger with an adopted reindeer called Urho, whose life in Lapland's nature can be followed by the passenger in the coming years.

“We're so excited to be visiting Lapland and Rovaniemi. It feels extra special to be part of this milestone and this unforgettable event”, Tyla commented at Rovaniemi Airport.

The adopted reindeer Urho was born on 15 May 2025, which means that he is a calf living the first winter of his life. Urho spent his first summer at his home farm to the delight of tourists, and in August he and his mother were let out to graze in the Pyhä-Kallio herding area. During the late summer and autumn, Urho's mother taught her calf how to live as a wild reindeer and where to find food and other reindeer.

After an official event held at the airport, the passenger had the opportunity to meet Urho at a reindeer farm. According to Miia Ylinampa, representative of the Arctic Reindeer farm, Urho is a curious and friendly calf who likes people. As an adopted reindeer, Urho stays with his own herd, with whom he can walk freely in the natural pastures and forests of Lapland in the summer.

In the future, Urho the reindeer's life can also be followed on Finavia's social media channels.

Finavia's investments in Rovaniemi and Lapland airports

Finavia has invested a total of more than EUR 100 million in the development of Lapland's airports over the past ten years. During the 2018–2020 development programme in Lapland, Finavia allocated EUR 25 million to the extension of the Rovaniemi Airport terminal, raising the service level and developing the airport processes. In 2025, Finavia invested a total of EUR 5.5 million in the extension of the departures hall, ground traffic arrangements and air traffic infrastructure at Rovaniemi Airport.

Finavia has done a lot of development work to promote the environmental responsibility of airports. At Rovaniemi Airport, sustainable solutions have been taken into account in the heating and lighting of terminal buildings and the fuels used at the airport, for example. As a result of this work, Rovaniemi and other Finavia airports in Lapland achieved net zero carbon emissions in 2024. In addition, all of Finavia's airports in Lapland have a Visit Finland sustainable tourism certificate.

FINAVIA CORPORATION
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Photos for the press available here.