Finland’s first major cold snap of 2026 has rapidly evolved into a full-scale operational crisis for the country’s aviation sector. By Monday morning, the Finnish Meteorological Institute had recorded temperatures plunging toward –40 °C in parts of Lapland and –30 °C in southern Finland. The brutal conditions have crippled de-icing rigs, slowed fuel handling and forced airlines to park aircraft until the mercury rises.
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the country’s primary international hub, reported 12 outright cancellations and 157 delays on 12 January. Flag-carrier Finnair absorbed the bulk of the pain, logging 125 delayed movements in Helsinki alone, while Dutch partner KLM was also forced to trim its schedule. Further north, compact Kittilä Airport—gateway to the Levi ski resort—was effectively shut down for much of Sunday evening and Monday morning after temperatures touched –34.6 °C. Fourteen Kittilä sectors were cancelled outright, leaving hundreds of winter-holiday visitors with no immediate exit.
Airport operator Finavia has moved additional snow-clearance equipment to Lapland, but engineers say that hydraulic systems on de-icing trucks begin to fail below –32 °C. Finnair warned customers that baggage back-logs are inevitable this week and urged travellers to use its mobile rebooking tools rather than queue at service desks. Corporate travel managers are advising staff to build at least 24-hour buffers into itineraries and to confirm that overnight accommodation in Helsinki or Rovaniemi is available before heading to the airport.
![Deep Freeze Disrupts Finnish Air Travel: 26 Cancellations and 161 Delays Hit Finnair and KLM]()
The cold spell is forecast to persist until at least Wednesday. Business-critical travellers with tight connections through other European hubs should consider rerouting via Stockholm or Copenhagen, where temperatures remain closer to seasonal norms. Firms with assignees in Lapland are reminded that road and rail links are also vulnerable; several long-distance VR trains were delayed on Monday after rails contracted in the –35 °C night-time lows.
For travellers suddenly rerouting through unfamiliar airports, visa or transit rules can add another layer of complexity. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) lets passengers and corporate travel teams check real-time entry requirements, obtain e-visas or transit permits, and arrange courier services for urgent documents in hours rather than days—an invaluable safety net when weather disruptions force last-minute itinerary changes.
In the longer term, the episode will feed the political debate over Finland’s winter resilience. Helsinki Airport has invested heavily in dual-lane de-icing pads, but regional airports such as Kittilä rely on older, less-powerful equipment. Finnair’s leadership has already called for accelerated infrastructure grants to ensure that key tourist gateways can cope with the harsher winters climate scientists predict for the coming decade.
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the country’s primary international hub, reported 12 outright cancellations and 157 delays on 12 January. Flag-carrier Finnair absorbed the bulk of the pain, logging 125 delayed movements in Helsinki alone, while Dutch partner KLM was also forced to trim its schedule. Further north, compact Kittilä Airport—gateway to the Levi ski resort—was effectively shut down for much of Sunday evening and Monday morning after temperatures touched –34.6 °C. Fourteen Kittilä sectors were cancelled outright, leaving hundreds of winter-holiday visitors with no immediate exit.
Airport operator Finavia has moved additional snow-clearance equipment to Lapland, but engineers say that hydraulic systems on de-icing trucks begin to fail below –32 °C. Finnair warned customers that baggage back-logs are inevitable this week and urged travellers to use its mobile rebooking tools rather than queue at service desks. Corporate travel managers are advising staff to build at least 24-hour buffers into itineraries and to confirm that overnight accommodation in Helsinki or Rovaniemi is available before heading to the airport.
The cold spell is forecast to persist until at least Wednesday. Business-critical travellers with tight connections through other European hubs should consider rerouting via Stockholm or Copenhagen, where temperatures remain closer to seasonal norms. Firms with assignees in Lapland are reminded that road and rail links are also vulnerable; several long-distance VR trains were delayed on Monday after rails contracted in the –35 °C night-time lows.
For travellers suddenly rerouting through unfamiliar airports, visa or transit rules can add another layer of complexity. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) lets passengers and corporate travel teams check real-time entry requirements, obtain e-visas or transit permits, and arrange courier services for urgent documents in hours rather than days—an invaluable safety net when weather disruptions force last-minute itinerary changes.
In the longer term, the episode will feed the political debate over Finland’s winter resilience. Helsinki Airport has invested heavily in dual-lane de-icing pads, but regional airports such as Kittilä rely on older, less-powerful equipment. Finnair’s leadership has already called for accelerated infrastructure grants to ensure that key tourist gateways can cope with the harsher winters climate scientists predict for the coming decade.
