Ministry proposes ending state support for flights to seven regional airports

Finland’s Ministry of Transport and Communications wants the state to stop subsidising domestic flights to seven regional airports after current contracts end in 2028, a proposal regional officials and business representatives have strongly rejected, Yle reports.

The ministry says passenger numbers are low at some airports and suggests that municipalities, joint municipal authorities or regions could take over support for unprofitable flights. The state currently purchases flights from Helsinki-Vantaa to Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kajaani, Kemi-Tornio, Kokkola-Pietarsaari, Savonlinna and Pori.

Representatives of regional business and advocacy organisations warned that losing the flights could harm tourism, exports and investment. Jarno Turunen, liaison director at the Regional Council of North Karelia, said ending services would be disastrous for the region’s vitality and that even the threat of cuts could make investment more difficult. He also said Joensuu Airport could not be maintained for private flights alone if scheduled services ended.

Joensuu and Kokkola have rejected the proposal. Joensuu’s strategy director, Sami Laakkonen, called the ministry’s report biased, saying it counted flight costs but not their effects on employment or companies’ competitiveness. He also ruled out local authorities funding the unprofitable routes.

Kokkola’s development director, Jonne Sandberg, said it was incomprehensible to propose shrinking the airport network in the current global situation. Paula Erkkilä, chief executive of the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce, described the ministry’s proposal as short-sighted.

Passenger numbers at Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport have risen by nearly 20 per cent this year. However, the airport would need at least 40,000 passengers a year to sustain services on a market basis. It handled about 32,000 passengers last year. The airport company’s chief executive, Stig-Göran Forsman, said he believed planned major investments in the region, including the Arctial aluminium plant, would require a functioning airport.

Mika Suoja, operations director at sauna stove manufacturer Harvia in Muurame, said ending flights would lengthen travel times and make it harder to reach Central European markets. Sari Moisanen of the Meri-Lappi Development Centre said air connections also support tourism growth. Brussels Airlines is due to begin the first direct international scheduled service in Kemi-Tornio Airport’s history, between Kemi and Brussels, in December.

Kajaani Mayor Terho Savolainen said the proposal conflicted with the government’s accessibility target, which calls for regional centres to be within three hours of the capital region. He said air travel was effectively the only way for Kajaani to meet that target, as the fastest train journey to Helsinki takes more than six hours.