Finnish president takes first Hornet fighter jet flight during Rovaniemi visit

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb drew a crowd of up to 2,500 people to Rovaniemi’s Lordi Square on Tuesday during their two-day visit to the Lapland capital, Finnish broadcaster Yle reports.

The public event gave residents the chance to take photos with the presidential couple and exchange brief words. Earlier in the day, Stubb visited the Lapland Air Command, where he flew in a Hornet fighter jet for the first time—a experience he later described to media as overwhelming even for someone in good physical condition.

“My head is still spinning,” Stubb said. “It was that intense.”

Two high school students from Rovaniemi Lyceum Park, Veera Vainio and Aleksi Virranniemi, interviewed the president on stage, asking about global politics and Lapland’s role in Finland. Stubb encouraged the students to focus on education and pursue their interests, noting he would never have been chosen to interview a president at their age due to his own youthful antics.

When asked about his most memorable encounter, Stubb did not cite his golf outing with former US President Donald Trump but instead referenced a different, unspecified meeting.

The event also featured greetings from Rovaniemi Mayor Ulla-Kirsikka Vainio and performances by the Pop Up music school’s pop choir Väre, with soloist Heli Kaltiokumpu and accordionist Kaisa Ristiluoma, including a rendition of local artist Antti Tuisku’s song Juuret.

Innes-Stubb had a separate schedule, visiting the Finnish Red Cross Lapland district and local UNICEF operations. On Wednesday, the couple will tour Vaaranlammi School and visit Geovisori, a company specialising in mining and geotechnical services.