Entrepreneurs: air transport is vital for Kainuu, but there is room for improvement in connectivity

Uncertainty about the activities of export and tourism companies in Kainuu has been removed, at least for a while, as the state is going to fully finance the regional flights.

The stalemate over the funding of regional flights was resolved when it became clear that regional flights would be funded by the state after all. As recently as April, it seemed that the municipalities would have to contribute to paying for the flights.

– It brings certainty and predictability for the future and for attracting investment, and certainly especially for our tourism businesses, which are now able to sell Kainuu to the world.

According to Möttönen, air transport is vital for businesses. Accessibility in Kainuu is currently not at the best possible level,” Möttönen points out. This was reflected in the recently published Vitality Barometer, where Kainuu was ranked 16th.

– One big part of vitality is accessibility, we are not terribly high when comparing to other provinces. For companies, it is vital to have good connections that companies are able to secure business.

With current schedules, Kajaani can only reach Helsinki on Mondays, otherwise the journey will have to start the previous night if you plan to fly from Helsinki to the world next morning. However, Möttönen believes that better schedules could be profitable.

– Train connections are also needed, but for a business, the air connection is the number one to reach the world through further connections.