Second scheduled direct flight to Kittilä in summer 2025
Edelweiss Air will start direct flights from Zurich to Kittilä every Saturday from June 14 to September 13, 2025.
Travelers from Central Europe will get even more diverse opportunities to explore the summer in Lapland.
The new flights by Edelweiss Air will increase the number of weekly international summer flights to Kittilä to three. Discover Airlines had already announced earlier that it would expand its summer season flights to Kittilä with two weekly flights. The exception is May, when there will be one flight per week. These two new direct flights complement Finnair's connections to Kittilä via Helsinki from various parts of the world.
The long-term efforts to gain direct flight routes are bearing fruit once again, as Visit Levi and Visit Ylläs, in collaboration with the municipalities of Kittilä and Kolari, have been actively working in recent years to improve the accessibility of Kittilä Airport.
Having a second direct flight for the summer season is significant news for all of Lapland. The destinations in Fell Lapland have been investing in summer services for years, with Finnish summer vacationers being the largest customer group. Traditionally, May, June, and August have been quieter months. With the new direct flights, these months will also become busier. This means that the transition from winter to summer will now need to happen even faster in terms of services.
"Our company has been building summer tourism services throughout the 21st century. We are in many ways ready to welcome international summer tourists, as we can now expect summer tourism to enter a clear growth phase," says Levi Ski Resort's CEO, Jouni Palosaari.
"It's absolutely fantastic that we are getting more international visitors for the summer. The Swiss are an important customer group for us in winter, and we are already used to working with them, so we will surely find a common rhythm for the summer as well. They share the same values and appreciate high-quality services. Since there are only so many domestic customers, we need international customers for those months when Finns are not on holiday. Now we will truly become a year-round destination. A positive challenge in this changing situation is how we will manage our traditional holiday months of May and June in a new way," says Jari Ahola, the principal owner and shopkeeper of the family-owned Äkäslompolo SportShop, which has operated in Äkäslompolo for 25 years.
Finnish Lapland aligns well with the interests of Swiss travelers.
"In Ylläs, the Swiss were the third largest international customer group in terms of overnight stays in 2023. Our area is perceived as very attractive in Switzerland, and the Swiss particularly appreciate our extensive network of trails between the fell centers," says Visit Ylläs CEO, Kati Vehmas.
"At Levi, too, the number of Swiss tourists is growing. In 2023, the Swiss overnight stays increased by 74.4%," says Visit Levi CEO, Satu Pesonen.
Edelweiss Air AG is Switzerland's leading leisure airline, flying to the world's most beautiful destinations. Edelweiss is a sister company of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and part of the Lufthansa Group.
Images in the article: Edelweiss Air
