Direct flights from Rovaniemi to Spain – “This is a path to growth”, says Visit Rovaniemi CEO

Rovaniemi airport, foreign planes, people boarding the plane.
The growth in air travel after the high season was particularly evident at Rovaniemi Airport in December, where nearly 160 000 passengers were recorded in December.

This winter, a total of eight different countries have flown to Lapland’s capital. Direct flights to Rovaniemi will also give Laplanders easier access to the world.

Next winter, the range of direct flights from Rovaniemi to the world will be even wider when Iberia airline launches direct flights from Madrid in Spain to Rovaniemi. This will be the first direct connection to Lapland from Spain. The route will be operated twice a week, from the beginning of December until early February 2024. The duration of the flight is approximately 4 hours.

– This Spanish destination is a great addition to this tourism map and we now have a very broad and comprehensive representation of these routes.

Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO of Visit Rovaniemi, at Rovaniemi's Lord's square.
The opening of routes is preceded by a very long period of work to study market opportunities and competitive situations. We always try to open routes that would remain long-lasting,” says Sanna Kärkkäinen.

Direct flights to eight countries

Direct flights to Rovaniemi will also give Lappish people easier access to destinations in southern Europe. This winter, flights have been operated to Rovaniemi from a total of eight countries, from eleven European airports.

Destinations include London, Bristol and Manchester in England, Paris in France, Dublin in Ireland, Brussels in Belgium, Milan in Italy, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Dusseldorf in Germany, and Istanbul in Turkey as the farthest destination. Kärkkäinen reminds that there are good onward connections from Istanbul around the world.

– Of course, tourists don’t just stay in Rovaniemi, but some continue around Lapland. Thus, Rovaniemi airport functions as a kind of \”gateway\” to the rest of Lapland, Kärkkäinen adds.

Direct flights to Rovaniemi are here to stay

The popularity of tourism in Lapland is not waning. This winter, the season has been record busy. This also bodes well for air connections in the coming winters. According to Kärkkäinen, the direct flight connections to Rovaniemi that have been opened so far are here to stay, as there has been enough demand for them.

– Regarding the new direct flight connections next winter, negotiations are still taking place, the situation lives on all the time. It will be interesting to see what next winter’s route map for Rovaniemi will look like. This is definitely the path to growth, Kärkkäinen sums up.