29 - Winter Operations: Finnish Snow-how NATS Altitude

Ice, snow, howling winds and temperatures as low as minus 30.C are hardly ideal conditions to be running an international airport, but that’s the reality for the team at Rovaniemi, Finland’s second busiest airport. 

In beautiful Lapland, sitting on the edge of the Arctic Circle, the near constant need to clear runways and de-ice aircraft should conspire against delivering a smooth operation, but the weather hasn’t closed Rovaniemi in over seven years. 

Attracting record passenger numbers in 2023 as one of Finland’s most important international gateways - and of course the official airport of Santa Claus – keeping Rovaniemi running safely and smoothly is vital.

So, what’s the secret? What snow-how keeps the airport open when so many others would be forced to close? And how do the teams ensure a warm welcome to the thousands of visitors that flock to Lapland to meet Santa and glimpse the Northern Lights every year? 

In this month’s Altitude we’re joined by the teams from whose job it is to battle the elements.
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