Cancellation of Kajaani-Düsseldorf flight route raises concerns for winter tourism

The planned direct flight route between Kajaani and Düsseldorf, Germany, will not take place next year. This news was reported initially by Kainuun Sanomat. Aija Laukkanen, CEO of Vuokatti Tourism Center, expressed her surprise at receiving the sudden announcement last Thursday that the German airline Eurowings would be canceling the flight connection between Kajaani and Central Europe.

Expectations for the new route, set to begin in January, had been high, and Laukkanen noted that the cancellation is a significant disappointment, likely having negative repercussions on winter tourism. She lamented that the anticipated booming winter season may not come to fruition as hoped, stating, “At least in terms of international growth, we won’t reach the figures we thought just two weeks ago.”

Eurowings was scheduled to operate the route for ten weeks using a 150-seat Airbus A319. Laukkanen does not have information on how many tickets had been sold for this route, but she suspects that low sales may have influenced the airline’s decision.

Laukkanen highlighted that efforts are still in their early stages to establish Arctic Lakeland as an internationally recognized destination. The Arctic Lakeland Charter project, launched last August, is currently in negotiations with several airlines to provide alternative travel options for those who have already purchased tickets to Kajaani, which is marketed internationally under the Arctic Lakeland name. Travelers could potentially reach Kajaani by flying to Oulu from Munich or via Helsinki.