Savonlinna scheduled flights to continue until 2028: Secure charter flights too, says Business Services Director

Last year, the number of passengers on Savonlinna’s scheduled and charter flights more than doubled compared to the previous year. There is still a long way to go to match the figures of the years before Korona.

Scheduled flights between Helsinki and Savonlinna will continue at least until the end of 2028. The State and the City of Savonlinna will put the 2026-2028 routes out to tender this spring.

The state subsidises Savonlinna’s scheduled flights with €1 million a year. According to Turtiainen, Savonlinna will have to pay a maximum of 1,2 million.

The Director of Economic Development says that scheduled flights will allow tourism to develop. Without regular services, there is no airport and no charter flights.

– If there is no information about the existence of the field, it is difficult to get tour operators to get excited about the area.

Nine flights from Rotterdam will land in Savonlinna this summer. The Dutch tour operator Voigt Travel is responsible for organizing flights.

According to Turtiainen, the city supports flights for € 60,000.

In 2026, charter flights will also be organized during the winter.

Solid increase in passenger numbers

Last year, the number of passengers for Savonlinna route and charter flights over doubled compared to the previous year.

According to recent information from Traficom, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Savonlinna’s scheduled flight traffic has been clearly the most rapid in all provincial fields in Finland.

The number of passengers on Savonlinna scheduled flights was one third smaller last year than in 2019.

The worst situation is in Joensuu, where passenger numbers are still almost 70 % lower than before the corona.

In general, provincial flights are low, 42 %. Savonlinna flights, 31 %, are the weakest in the country.

Similarly, the passenger -specific subsidy amount in Savonlinna is the largest in the country. In 2024, state aid was EUR 228 per passenger, compared with the country’s average of EUR 119.

*The number of passengers includes both incoming and outgoing passengers. Source: Statistics Finland.*