London Gatwick has said that it will offer more flights to Lapland compared to UK airport this winter – with a total of 120 flights bound for the home of Father Christmas in December.
Six destinations in and around the Lapland region – Enontekio, Ivalo, Kittila, Kuusamo, Tromso and the capital, Rovaniemi – can all be reached direct from Gatwick. In comparison, the UK airport with the second highest number of Lapland services in December is offering a third fewer flights than Gatwick.
The expansion of services comes in response to growing demand from British tourists to visit Lapland in the northernmost region of Finland.
Last December, the number of British visitors to Rovaniemi was up 13.9 percent on the previous year. In October 2018, the number of passengers heading to Rovaniemi from Gatwick almost tripled year-on-year.
The airport has also launched several new winter routes offering more choice for their Christmas market destination. easyJet has already launched new flights to Aarhus and Warsaw, while British Airways will start operating new services to Cologne and Lyon in the coming weeks.
In addition, in December, Gatwick will offer more flights than ever before to the European cities with some of the most renowned Christmas markets in the world – with 315 flights going to Amsterdam, 306 to Geneva and 227 to Copenhagen.
Stephen King, Head of Airline Relations, Gatwick Airport said: ‘It’s fitting that Gatwick now offers more flights to Lapland than any other UK airport, as this winter wonderland is the ultimate family destination and Gatwick is widely recognised as the ultimate family airport. The number of Brits travelling to Lapland for a winter escape is rapidly increasing every year and we’re pleased to be responding to that demand.
‘If meeting Father Christmas or going on a sleigh ride doesn’t tick the winter holiday box, Gatwick’s short-haul network of over 160 routes offers something for everyone, with new services to breath-taking destinations like Aarhus and Cologne and more flights than ever before to many of our passengers’ old favourites.’
