A jet identified as a US Air Force Boeing 757 was on the tarmac at Helsinki Airport on Tuesday.
The civil aviation administration Finavia confirmed the visit but remained tight-lipped.
“Yes, this type of plane did make a stop in Finland,” Finavia communications officer Kirsi Luhta told Yle. She said she could not say more about the stop-off.
The Foreign Ministry declined comment.
Since last autumn, the Finnish Parliamentary Ombudsman has been investigating stop-offs by US government planes in Finland. Some were allegedly involved in CIA ‘extraordinary rendition’ flights during the post-9/11 era.
One night of Swedish hospitality
Obama is scheduled to arrive in Stockholm on Wednesday morning after an overnight flight from Washington. That evening, he is to meet with Nordic leaders, including Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. They will take part in a dinner hosted by Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
After an overnight stay at a Stockholm hotel, Obama flies to St Petersburg for a G20 summit on Thursday. Before leaving, he is to meet the Swedish King and Queen – who on Tuesday announced that their daughter Princess Madeleine is expecting her first child next spring.
The White House hastily added the Sweden visit to Obama's schedule after he scrapped plans to meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow ahead of the G20 meeting. The two-day summit begins on Thursday.