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14-01-2026
HELSINKI: Thousands of tourists have been stranded in Finland’s Lapland as a severe cold spell has grounded flights out of one of its airports.
Departures from Lapland’s Kittila airport that would have ferried winter travelers back to places like London, Bristol, Manchester, Paris and Amsterdam were all cancelled on Sunday as temperatures did not go above -35C on Sunday.
The issue is expected to continue on Monday as a low of -39C is forecast by Finland’s meteorological agency. The first flight out of Kittila has already been cancelled.
The extreme cold makes it hard to de-ice planes, while maintenance and refueling equipment on the ground can freeze.
Airport operator Finavia told public broadcaster Yle that moisture in the air was making the situation worse as it was creating slippery frost.
While Lapland which spans northern Norway, Sweden and Finland is known for the cold and snow, Finnish Lapland usually has a winter average temperature of -14C, with occasional dips to -30C, according to the nation’s tourism board.
Kittila airport predominantly serves people wishing to travel to nearby ski resorts and to see the Northern Lights, while Rovaniemi airport further south is the “official” destination for visitors to Santa Claus’s folkloric home.
One flight was cancelled out of Rovaniemi on Sunday.
Flights were reportedly cancelled in and out of Kittila on Friday and Saturday as well.
The cold weather has also made the roads particularly hazardous, with Fintraffic warning of icy conditions in the region.
A bus full of Ukrainian passengers drove into a ditch on Sunday morning, Yle reported, citing local police. It said no serious injuries were reported.
The unusual cold in Lapland comes as a storm passing over northern Europe has brought wintry conditions and travel disruption to the UK, France and Germany.
A man was killed after a tree fell on his caravan in England, while around 100,000 homes were without power in France on Saturday.
Cold snap set to ease ahead of wet and windy week
Wet and windy weather has begun to replace the wintry conditions which hit most of the UK this week, spelling an end to early January’s cold snap.
An amber warning for snow and ice in north-western Scotland has been downgraded, joining a series of yellow warnings for rain and wind across much of the country, all of which are due to expire by Monday morning.
Sunday is forecast to bring rain and blustery conditions to most of the UK as mild air moves in from the west after a cold week.
Meanwhile, the National Grid said it was continuing work to resolve power outages affecting thousands of properties still without power in parts of England and Wales.
National Rail has warned that disruption to travel is possible until Monday, while the Met Office advised those covered by yellow warnings to prepare for delays and possibly dangerous road conditions.
Forecaster Craig Snell said next week would still see wind, rain and “unsettled” conditions, but the UK would be “saying goodbye to the really cold weather”.
Temperatures between 9-11C are expected in the south and about 6-8C elsewhere.
Milder temperatures could spell a risk of flooding in places as snow from Storm Goretti melts, with the public urged to check local flood warnings.
The storm brought days of heavy snow, ice and strong winds to most parts of the UK. When it arrived on Thursday, the Met Office issued a rare red warning for wind in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Wind speeds of up to 99mph (159km/h) were later recorded in the region. (Int’l News Desk)
