TOURISM

Air France to open Paris-Lapland route during winter season

An Air France plane rolls down the airport runway. Photo: Pixabay.
Two weekly flights will connect Paris and Rovaniemi from 4 December

The French flag carrier Air France has announced that as of 4 December it will operate two weekly flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Rovaniemi Airport, in Lapland.

The new route will be active during part of this fall-winter season, until 5 March 2022.

“We are pleased that Air France starts direct flights to Rovaniemi. The new route will increase travel to Lapland and is a sign of flight connections gradually recovering in Finland and Europe,” says Petri Vuori, Vice President, Sales and Route Development at Finavia.

Rovaniemi, the main city of Lapland, is one of the Finnish poles of tourist attraction, particularly in the winter season and during the Christmas holidays.

The tourist companies that are part of the Visit Rovaniemi tourist lobby believe that this Paris-Rovaniemi flight will be a "significant opening" for the post Covid-19 market and a booster to international travel in the northern region.

Travel statistics

At Rovaniemi hotel and accommodation statistics, French hold the second place in the number of travelers.

"The direct connection that Air France is opening, is believed to serve independent travelers as well as travel agencies to which Rovaniemi is already well-known and popular winter destination," says Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO at Visit Rovaniemi.

These flights are part of its new Air France services for the winter of 2021. With them, the company says it intends to continue adapting its network and strengthen services to leisure destinations.