Helsinki Airport reports strong traffic growth in Jan to Feb-2022, but future portents are ominous
Finland is on the north-eastern periphery of Europe and that works to its advantage, in that Europe-Asia flights have the shortest Great Circle distance to and from Helsinki Vantaa Airport, which in turn attracts transfer passengers from elsewhere in Europe.
After two tough years those passengers returned in numbers in Jan-2022 and Feb-2022, but there is still work to be done with seat capacity levels that are still well behind the first two months of 2020. That is partly a result of the lingering COVID outbreak in Asia Pacific generally, and now also a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has prompted airspace closures just where national airline Finnair wants to fly.
Finland has a long border with Russia, has been invaded by it in the past, and has been threatened by it in the last week.
The eventual outcome is uncertain, but it may now be time for both the airport and airline to reappraise their long term strategies.
Become a CAPA Member to access Analysis Reports
Our Analysis Reports are only available to CAPA Members. CAPA Membership provides exclusive access to in-depth insights on the latest developments in the aviation and travel industry, developed by our team of dedicated analysts located in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.
Each report offers a fresh perspective on the latest industry trends and is available online or via the CAPA mobile app, with customisable alerts to help you stay informed and identify new business opportunities.
CAPA Membership also provides access to our full suite of tools, including a tailored selection of more than 1,000 News Briefs every week and comprehensive data and analysis on thousands of companies around the world.