Rovaniemi airport in Arctic Finland to get major expansion as passenger numbers surge
Rovaniemi Airport in Arctic Finland will get a major upgrade with a €3 million expansion to accommodate the surging number of tourists to Lapland, Finavia, the country’s airport operator, said on Tuesday.
The expansion is set to increase the airport’s departure hall by almost 1,000 square metres, with plans to finish the project just in time for the 2025–2026 winter season, when Lapland gets the majority of its visitors.
Last year, the airport saw a massive 30 per cent increase in passengers, reaching nearly one million travellers, most of whom were international visitors, the airport authority said.
- Record Traffic in 2024: 948,000 passengers (+29 per cent)
- Who’s flying?: 44 per cent international, 56 per cent domestic passengers
- Arctic Runway: 3,000-metres long stretching crossing the Arctic Circle
Source: Finavia
Winter boom drives airport upgrades
The rise in traffic comes as Lapland has become a major destination for winter tourism, resulting in several airlines ramping up services to the Arctic region.
““For years, Finavia has been investing in the development of airports in Lapland so that tourism in the Lapland region could grow and develop.” Jani Jolkkonen, Finavia’s Senior VP of Airport Network, said in a statement.
“It is clear that a good passenger experience must be maintained even at a rapid rate of growth, so I am very pleased to announce a new investment in Rovaniemi.”
- 1939: Construction of the airport begins.
- 1940: Airport opens; Aero Oy launches regular flights from Helsinki.
- 1948: Scheduled passenger flights resume after World War II.
- 1984: First Christmas charter flight lands from London (25 December).
- 2020: Airport celebrates its 80th anniversary.
The construction, slated to start in April 2025 and finish by November, has been planned so air traffic can continue as usual. However, there will be some changes to traffic arrangements in front of the airport during the summer months.
The expansion is part of a broader €100 million investment Finavia has made in Lapland’s airports over the past decade, it said.
Rovaniemi ‘s portions of the funds is €25 million.
Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Northern airlines say feds should intervene if they want lower prices for the North, CBC North
Finland: Record December passenger numbers for airports in Arctic Finland, Eye on the Arctic
Greenland: New Copenhagen-Kangerlussuaq flight aims to boost Greenland tourism, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Arctic Norway’s Tromsø Airport struggles as international arrivals triple, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Northern Scandinavia to pioneer commercial flights with electric planes, Radio Sweden
