A combination of early-season snowstorms and short-notice sick-calls among ground-handling staff forced Finnair to cancel 23 flights and delay 85 more on 30 November, spilling over into the morning of 1 December. The heaviest impact was felt at Helsinki-Vantaa, where regional rotations to Ivalo and Vilnius were scrubbed and long queues developed at de-icing pads.
Finavia says the airport processed 28 cm of fresh snow in 18 hours—well within its ‘SnowHow’ design limits—but thinner post-pandemic rosters left little slack when multiple runways required clearing at once. Finnair is now operating a “rolling” re-booking programme and has asked corporate clients to double-check that traveller profiles contain valid mobile numbers so automated notifications are received.
![Weather and staffing shortfalls trigger fresh wave of Finnair cancellations across Europe]()
For business-critical travel, the disruption was most acute on short-haul routes to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and London Heathrow, where high-yield connecting traffic funnels into oneworld partners. Travel-management companies report that last-minute hotel prices in the Finnish capital spiked 40 percent overnight. Employers are being reminded that EU261 duty-of-care obligations apply even when weather is a contributing factor.
Finnair says it expects a normal schedule on 2 December but will keep one narrow-body on standby and has requested priority de-icing slots for its Asian departures. Mobility teams are advised to keep rail and coach contingencies on file for domestic sectors and to brief travellers on their rights to meals and accommodation should further cancellations occur.
Finavia says the airport processed 28 cm of fresh snow in 18 hours—well within its ‘SnowHow’ design limits—but thinner post-pandemic rosters left little slack when multiple runways required clearing at once. Finnair is now operating a “rolling” re-booking programme and has asked corporate clients to double-check that traveller profiles contain valid mobile numbers so automated notifications are received.
For business-critical travel, the disruption was most acute on short-haul routes to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and London Heathrow, where high-yield connecting traffic funnels into oneworld partners. Travel-management companies report that last-minute hotel prices in the Finnish capital spiked 40 percent overnight. Employers are being reminded that EU261 duty-of-care obligations apply even when weather is a contributing factor.
Finnair says it expects a normal schedule on 2 December but will keep one narrow-body on standby and has requested priority de-icing slots for its Asian departures. Mobility teams are advised to keep rail and coach contingencies on file for domestic sectors and to brief travellers on their rights to meals and accommodation should further cancellations occur.
