The number of flights to and from Finland rose by nearly 12 percent last summer compared to a year earlier.
According to Fintraffic, the total number of flights did not increase by quite as much, since the number of domestic flights was slightly lower than in 2023.
The number of arriving and departing flights increased by 11.9 percent compared to the previous year, the state transport service agency said on Wednesday.
Fintraffic predicts that Lapland's air traffic will return to its pre-coronavirus level this coming winter.
Longer flights, lower emissions
In domestic aviation, traffic is becoming more concentrated on longer trips.
"Domestic air traffic is more clearly focused on longer routes, which is in line with the fact that, according to our survey, airplanes and trains are the most popular form of transportation for trips over 600 kilometres," Fintraffic CEO Pia Julin told Verkkouutiset.
EU studies show that for trips of less than 500 km, rail travel produces significantly lower emissions — and is often just as fast as air for travel between city centres.
The number of overflights in Finnish airspace rose by 11.6 percent. Between July and September, the rise in these overflights was led by Chinese airlines, but other Asian and Middle Eastern airlines also flew more frequently over Finland.
Fintraffic operates under the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
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