Finavia expects passenger numbers at Finland’s Lapland airports to rise by 5–10% during the 2026/27 winter season, with airline operations increasing by 4–8%. Growth will be supported by expanded international direct services and connecting traffic through Helsinki, prompting additional staffing and capacity measures at Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Ivalo, Kuusamo and Kemi-Tornio airports.
The winter traffic programme runs from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027. Finavia’s airports will offer 31 more routes than during the previous winter, including connections from Lapland to 10 new European destinations. Rovaniemi is scheduled to have 37 routes, followed by Kittilä with 15, Kuusamo with nine, Ivalo with eight and Kemi-Tornio with two.
Finavia has opened 120 seasonal positions at Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Ivalo and Kuusamo, 20% more than last year. The recruitment will more than double the operator’s staffing at those airports during the peak season. Rovaniemi and Kittilä have also used coordinated slot allocation since the 2025/26 winter season, with an external coordinator distributing arrival and departure times among airlines to manage rising traffic volumes.