The new flights are part of airBaltic’s expanded winter program, with additional weekend services and stationing the aircraft in Kuusamo during the busiest winter months, perfect for short breaks and longer snow holidays.
Mantas Vrubliauskas, VP Network Management at airBaltic, comments:
“We are pleased to introduce direct flights between five European cities from three different countries to Kuusamo, further strengthening connectivity between the Baltics, Europe, the UK and Northern Finland. Kuusamo is an increasingly popular destination for winter tourism, offering excellent skiing opportunities and unique Nordic nature. Together with our existing route to Kittilä, these additions will provide our customers in Latvia, Germany and the United Kingdom with even more choices when planning winter holidays in Lapland.”
“The new flights are part of airBaltic’s expanded winter schedule. The program includes additional weekend services as well as the stationing of one aircraft at Kuusamo Airport during the busiest winter months. Having the aircraft overnight in Kuusamo enables multiple direct connections between Kuusamo and various European city destinations.” says Petri Vuori, SVP, Route Development, Finavia.
Why Ruka-Kuusamo?
Recently awarded Outdoor Destination of the Year 2025, Ruka-Kuusamo is one of Finland’s most versatile winter destinations. Alongside a top-tier ski resort, visitors can explore three national parks, chase the Northern Lights, experience reindeer culture and relax in traditional Finnish saunas – a living cultural tradition recognized by UNESCO.
From international sports events to local winter festivals, Ruka-Kuusamo offers something for families, couples, snow-sport lovers and adventure seekers alike. This is a real snow holiday at its most authentic.
“airBaltic makes Kuusamo Airport a seasonal base for its aircraft, making this opening historic. At the same time, it establishes direct scheduled flight connections from two new markets the United Kingdom and Latvia to Ruka-Kuusamo, while also strengthening accessibility from our key source market, Germany. These new air links are a strong indication of Ruka-Kuusamo’s growing position in international markets,” says Janne-Juhani Haarma, the CEO of Ruka-Kuusamo Tourist Association. He highlights the significance of the new routes:
“The connections create excellent business opportunities for local tourism companies and strongly support the significant tourism investments made in our region. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with airBaltic, local businesses, the City of Kuusamo, Finavia and Visit Finland on this project. We believe this marks the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.”
Teemu Ahola, director of international Operations at Visit Finland continues:
“airBaltic’s new connections offer an excellent opportunity to make Ruka-Kuusamo’s attractive winter activities and beautiful natural landscapes accessible to an increasing number of European travelers. These new route openings highlight the results of long-term collaboration and a strong, shared commitment to developing tourism in the region.”
