The number of flights in Lapland’s winter season is already increasing, the peak season starts in December.
The winter season of tourism in Lapland is about to begin, and it is expected to be fiercer than ever. The first European scheduled flights of the winter season have already started.
One of the first routes opened was Ryanair’s scheduled Liverpool-Rovaniemi flight, which started operating on Monday. It is one of the 18 new European route connections opened to Finavia’s Lapland airports this winter. A total of 35 direct international routes will fly to Lapland this winter.
You can fly to Rovaniemi on scheduled flights from, for example, Istanbul in Turkey, Barcelona in Spain, and Naples in Italy. In addition to international scheduled flights, a significant number of tourists fly to Lapland via Helsinki-Vantaa on domestic scheduled flights and charter flights from abroad.
According to Finavia, airlines offer 240,000 more passenger seats in Lapland compared to the previous winter. There is an increase of 16 percent compared to last winter.
In addition to Rovaniemi, Finavia’s airports are located in Kemi-Tornio, Kittilä and Ivalo in Lapland. In addition, there is an airport in Enontekiö, which is run by a company owned by the municipality.
During Rovaniemi’s Christmas season, up to 130 flights per week
The number of flights to Rovaniemi increases throughout November, but the actual peak tourism season only starts in December. At that time, the first charter flights arrive in Rovaniemi, coming from Great Britain, among others.
According to an indicative estimate prepared by Visit Rovaniemi, which does tourism marketing, up to 130 flights per week land in Rovaniemi at its busiest in December.
– As far as Lapland is concerned, the season could easily be extended for another month due to the conditions, Kärkkäinen says.
According to Visit Rovaniemi’s Sanna Kärkkäinen, tourism in Rovaniemi has recovered from the complete standstill caused by the corona pandemic at a speed that is \”record-breaking not only in the north, but in the whole of Finland\”.
– Tourism is one of the few growth sectors in Finland, and in the north there are exceptionally good starting points for the growth of vitality through tourism, Kärkkäinen says.
The amount of snow is constantly reported on social media
The weather is an essential part of tourism in the early part of the winter season, as tourists are interested in a snowy winter.
This year, the end of October has been snowy in Rovaniemi, and the Visit Rovaniemi Instagram account has also been able to present snowy Lapland, and it was hoped that the wintry weather will continue.
– Social media is a great way to communicate about conditions in real time, Sanna Kärkkäinen says.
According to Kärkkäinen, customers’ purchasing decisions and program planning are significantly affected by the amount of snow. The snowfall has therefore had a stimulating effect on trade.
– The arrival of winter can be seen as a spike in inquiries and bookings, says Kärkkäinen.
The winter season started at Rovaniemi Airport over the weekend
– December is our busiest month, at its peak more than 40 planes operate in Rovaniemi per day.
According to Juujärvi, it currently looks like this is going to be a record winter for Rovaniemi Airport.
In December, you can fly from Rovaniemi to 19 different destinations, the farthest of which is Istanbul.
– For example, you can get to London from three different airports from Rovaniemi, and two different companies fly to Paris. When the plane brings tourists from abroad to Rovaniemi, it can accommodate Finns on the return flight, reminds Juujärvi.
Rovaniemi Airport is preparing for a record winter.
– On Finavia’s side, everything that is needed has been recruited. Thanks go to the seasonal workers. Everything will probably have to drag on a bit, but it won’t work, says Juujärvi.
Rovaniemi airport has previously complained about poor connections from the airport to the center of Rovaniemi.
– Now the private entrepreneur takes the bus to and from the city many times a day. There should also be enough taxis, states Juujärvi.
*The story was supplemented on 30 October 2023 at 09:22 with comments from Juha Juujärvi.*
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