Northern Exposure: Finnair Expands Nordic and Lapland Network

Finnair will be flying to 12 new European destinations as part of its Summer 2026 schedule. All routes will operate from the airline’s base at Helsinki Airport, and will be enabled by an expanded wet-lease partnership with Danish carrier Jettime. With these additions, Finnair’s network will grow to 113 destinations, including 93 in Europe, 11 in Asia, seven in North America (including Toronto, which opens in the summer of 2026), and two in the Middle East.

The airline announced the new routes this week, saying that it was “tapping into growth opportunities” as it sees heightened demand for travel across Europe. In a further development, it will also be launching three new direct flights from European capitals to the winter wonders of Finnish Lapland, which are set to start when its winter schedule begins next year.

A Return To Positive News For Finnair

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It has been a challenging year for Finnair, marked by extended industrial action that resulted in the cancellation of over 1,300 flights and a direct negative impact of approximately €68 million, leading the airline to lower its profit outlook for the year. Additionally, in a rather bizarre incident, it was forced to ground half its Airbus A321 fleet last month over fears that its water-washing method for seats could damage upholstery or weaken their flame-retardant properties.

Despite this, Finnair has strengthened its network, notably on its Asian routes where increased frequencies to Osaka International Airport and Nagoya have positioned it as the largest carrier between Europe and Japan. Over the summer it also experienced a surge in demand across its European network, with some routes growing as much as 12% year-over-year and passenger load factors remaining robust at 86%.

This has prompted the carrier to double-down with a significant expansion of 12 new routes for next summer. Christine Rovelli, chief revenue officer at Finnair, says that the challenges of 2025 are behind them, and the carrier is “excited to tap into growth opportunities” that it is seeing right across Europe:

“Our new European destinations are designed for both business and leisure travelers, while also connecting new markets to our long-haul network via our strategically positioned Helsinki hub, further strengthening our broad network.”

Twelve New European Routes

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More than half of the new European routes are to Southern Europe, where the addition of Catania, Florence and Turin expands Finnair’s Italian network to nine destinations. The Greek island of Kos is also being added, complementing the airline’s other flights to Chania and Heraklion in Crete, Rhodes, and Santorini. New to the Finnair network will be the rapidly growing city of Tirana, which will mark the first time that the carrier has flown to Albania.

Closer to home, Finnair is continuing to expand its service to Norway, increasing to nine destinations with the addition of Alta and Stavanger. The latter is known for its strong “foodie scene”, offering a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, with Finnair’s flights launching in time for travelers to attend the city’s famous Gladmat food festival. The city is also popular with hiking enthusiasts due to its proximity to the stunning Lysefjord, and two of Norway’s most famous natural attractions, Preikestolen and Kjeragbolten.

New Direct Flights To Finish Lapland

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Finnair will also be offering direct flights from three European capitals to destinations in Finish Lapland as part of its Winter 2026 schedule. While the airline already has extensive connecting flights to Lapland via its Helsinki hub, it is hoped that nonstop flights from key European hubs will further incentivize travelers to visit these bucket-list destinations.

The new Lapland flights will include:

Kittilä is a lively municipality in Finnish Lapland known primarily as the gateway to two of the region’s largest and most popular ski resorts, Levi and Ylläs. Situated above the Arctic Circle, it offers visitors a prime location for winter sports, husky safaris, and Northern Lights viewing.

Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland and is famously known as the official hometown of Santa Claus, situated directly on the Arctic Circle. The city offers a unique blend of urban culture and northern wilderness activities, including opportunities to engage in winter sports and visit the popular Santa Claus Village attraction.