This is revealed in Finavia's first trend report, which looks into changes in international and Finnish travel and air traffic trends. The report, which is based on expert interviews and background research, offers new perspectives on the discussion of Finland's connectivity in the changed operating environment.
"Tourists maintain and increase routes to Finland and Finland's connectivity. Geographically, tourism in Finland is strongly affected by the polarisation of destinations: the growth of tourism in Lapland during the winter season is an international success story. On the other hand, tourism has the greatest potential to grow in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. All in all, an investment in tourism is an investment in Finland's growth and internationalisation," says Finavia's CEO Kimmo Mäki.
The 2025 report highlights five significant trends that define the direction of air traffic in Finland and globally: the development and sustainability of air traffic, Finland as a tourism destination, business travel, leisure travel and customer experience.
Finland's connectivity requires market-based air traffic
Due to the impact of the closure of Russian airspace, Finnish air traffic is growing more moderately than that of the rest of Europe and Helsinki Airport has lost its position as an intermediary for large passenger flows between Europe and Asia. Finland's international connectivity is increasingly dependent on air traffic.
The vitality of domestic air traffic in Finland, on the other hand, requires that it is market-based. The air traffic being market-based supports both Finavia's and the entire industry's ability to invest in order to ensure growth and a good customer experience as well as meet the infrastructure requirements brought about by technological development.
In addition, trip chains that combine several modes of transport in an economic and climate-sustainable way play a key role in ensuring Finland's regional connectivity.
"Customer-oriented seamless flight, train, bus and other road connections should be developed purposefully. Smooth trip chains serve not only Finnish but also foreign passengers and also contribute to the rising trend of sustainable tourism," Mäki says.
Air traffic statistics: Tourism in Lapland continued its record growth
In 2024, a total of 19.6 million passengers travelled via Finavia's airports, which is 7% more than in 2023. Of the passengers, 16.3 million travelled via Helsinki Airport, whose passenger numbers also grew by 7% year-on-year. A total of 3.3 million passengers travelled via Finavia's regional airports last year, which is 10% more than in the previous year. The number of passengers increased particularly on flights within Europe, with the largest numbers of passengers travelling on routes to and from Germany, Sweden, Spain and the UK.
"The growth in air traffic is driven by leisure travel in particular. The strong growth trend in tourism is particularly evident in Lapland, which saw another record year. Direct international routes increased particularly in Lapland," says Petri Vuori, Finavia's Senior Vice President, Sales and Route Development.
Last year, 1.8 million passengers travelled via Finavia's tourism-driven Lapland airports, which is 19% more than in 2023 (1.5 million). Of the airports in Lapland, Rovaniemi, Kittilä and Ivalo in particular increased their passenger numbers. The number of passengers that travelled via Rovaniemi Airport in 2024 was a record-breaking 948,000 (+29%). Traffic at smaller airports has decreased due to, among other things, a fall in demand for business travel. For example, the number of passengers travelling via Joensuu, Jyväskylä and Kajaani airports has decreased by more than 60% compared to 2019.
