Under the slogan “the North is near”, Finavia is promoting the increasing accessibility and attraction of Finland’s Lapland as not only a Christmas destination but a summer one too.
With an investment of €60 million into the growing tourism industry of Lapland prior to Covid, the three main Lapland airports of Rovaniemi, Kittilä and Ivalo have the capacity to serve 2 million passengers annually, Jani Jolkkonen, Senior Vice-President Airport Network at Finavia, told ARGS.
Rovaniemi, the official airport of Santa Claus, is the largest of the three and is expected to handle well over 500,000 travellers in winter 2023. In winter 2022, Finavia saw a record number of passengers travelling to Lapland, rising above pre-pandemic levels as the airports gain direct connections to European cities, said Jolkkonen.
The success of its Lapland airports is a major boost for Finavia, which continues to suffer from the Russian overflight ban. This has seen Finnair cut back its Asian network from Helsinki significantly. Overall, Helsinki will only recover to about 70% of its pre-pandemic traffic levels in 2023.
A new opportunity for the Lapland market is its potential as a summertime destination, with visitors lured by its natural beauty. “In collaboration with our partner organisations we aim to showcase Lapland internationally as a year-round destination,” said Jolkkonen.
