"We work closely with airlines, local tourism organisations and regional actors to improve Finland's air connectivity and route selection. In 2024, there were about 130 direct routes from Finland to different destinations around the world," says Petri Vuori, Finavia's Senior Vice President responsible for route development.
A total of 19.6 million (+7%) passengers flew via Finavia's airports in 2024. Of the passengers, 81% travelled on an international flight and 19% on a domestic one. In 2024, the total number of flight operations, i.e. take-offs and landings, was 193,173 (+7%).
Passenger numbers in Finland are growing more slowly than those of other Nordic countries
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Finland has been one of the slowest recovering air traffic markets in Europe. The closure of Russian airspace has a significant impact on Asian transfer passenger traffic, and Finland's position in Asian transfer traffic has weakened significantly. Although the number of passengers at Finavia airports increased by 7% last year, we are still 25% below the number of passengers in 2019 (26 million).
On the other hand, the number of passengers is growing more strongly in Norway and Sweden, whose air traffic is less affected by the closure of Russian airspace. In 2024, passenger numbers at the airports of the Norwegian airport company Avinor amounted to 95% of the 2019 numbers. At Swedavia airports in Sweden, that figure was 81%. In 2024, a total of 51 million (+5%) passengers travelled via Avinor airports, and more than 32 million (+1%) passengers travelled via Swedavia airports. Both in Europe and globally, the passenger numbers for 2024 have already exceeded those of 2019.
Steady growth at Helsinki Airport
The number of passengers travelling via Helsinki Airport increased moderately year-on-year, reaching 16.3 million (+6.5%) in 2024. The growth is thanks to the additions made by the largest airlines to their own routes. Most of the airlines operating at Helsinki Airport increased their passenger numbers.
The number of transfer passengers departing on international flights was 1.6 million (+3.9%) at Helsinki Airport. The recovery of passenger air traffic between Asia and Europe is being slowed down by the war Russia is waging against Ukraine and the closure of Russian airspace.
A record year in Lapland – for the rest of the network, passenger numbers increased moderately
Tourism in Lapland continued its historic growth. In 2024, a total of 1.8 million passengers (+19%) travelled via Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Ivalo, Kuusamo and Kemi-Tornio airports in Lapland. In 2023, the number was 1.5 million. Of the airports in Lapland, Rovaniemi, Kittilä and Ivalo in particular increased their passenger numbers.
The number of passengers travelling via Rovaniemi Airport reached a record 948,000 (+29%), and the airport is getting close to reaching the milestone of 1 million passengers. A record number of new routes were added for Rovaniemi Airport, and there are now a total of 41 direct routes to the airport from European cities. In Lapland tourism, there is a strong trend of increasing direct routes with scheduled flights in addition to the traditional charter flights.
The passenger numbers at Lapland airports clearly reflect the seasonal nature of the demand, which means that the airports are particularly busy during the holiday seasons in winter. The number of passengers travelling via Rovaniemi Airport increased by more than 30% in December alone for the second consecutive year.
"The common goal of the Finnish tourism industry is to also develop tourism in Lapland outside the popular winter season. Over the winter season, three new international routes that will continue year-round after the winter season opened at Lapland airports," Vuori says.
A total of 3.3 million (+10%) passengers travelled via Finavia's regional airports last year. In 2023, the number was 3 million.
Leisure travel is increasing in popularity – business travel is decreasing
The increase in leisure travel and the decrease in business travel is an international trend that is also apparent in Finland. Of all the international flights at Finavia airports in 2024, flights to and from Germany, Sweden, Spain and the UK had the largest passenger numbers. Passenger numbers also increased on flights to and from traditional Mediterranean destinations, such as Greece (+9.2%), Croatia (+7.7%), Italy (+6.9%) and Spain (+6.0%). Outside Europe, the most popular destinations were Japan, the United States and Thailand.
Key Figures 2024
| January–December/2024 | January–December/2023 | |
| Total number of passengers at Finavia airports | 19,579,854 (+7.1%) | 18,288,146 |
| 16,308,814 (+6.5%) | 15,313,482 |
| 3,271,040 (+10.0%) | 2,974,664 |
| Transfer passengers at Helsinki Airport departing on international flights | 2,078,350 (+5.1%) | 1,976,913 |
| Total freight volume at Finavia's airports (tonnes) | 184,647 (+5.0%) | 175,857 |
| 182,348 (+5.7%) | 172,577 |
| 2,299 (-29.9%) | 3,280 |
| Total number of commercial flights at Finavia's airports | 193,170 (+7.3%) | 179,960 |
| 150,080 (+8.3%) | 138,628 |
| 43,090 (+4.3%) | 41,332 |
Source: Finavia statistics, Swedavia, Avinor, Airports Council International
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