This weekend will see Finnair launching a brand new connection from London Gatwick to the heart of Christmas – Lapland. Passengers can take a direct flight from the south London airport to either Kittilä or Ivalo, both deep in the snowy landscape and just a stone’s throw from Santa’s house. The airline has been laying on additional services to both Lapland and other destinations in a bid to pick up the slack following the demise of Thomas Cook.

Festive flights to Lapland from Gatwick

Finnair is feeling festive right now, and has just made it a whole lot easier for travelers from the UK to get their own little bit of winter wonderland magic. This weekend, the airline will launch direct services from Gatwick to Kittilä, and Ivalo in the heart of Lapland.

British families who are fed up with year after year of wet Christmas can now experience that white Christmas they’ve all been dreaming of. Flights from Gatwick to Lapland will take off every Sunday and Thursday, with Ivalo in operation from the 8^th December to the 22^nd March, while Kittilä flights will run from the 15^th December to the 8^th March.

Andrew Fish, Finnair General Manager UK & Ireland & Benelux, commented in a press release sent to Simple Flying,

“We’re thrilled to start our direct seasonal service from London Gatwick to Ivalo and Kittilä to make Christmas in Lapland a magical time for UK families and winter sports lovers.

“Lapland is an amazing winter wonderland and makes for the ultimate winter holiday, thanks to its beautiful snow-covered forests and breath-taking landscapes.

“Whether you want to soak up the silence, enjoy the excitement of meeting Santa, ski from dawn to dusk or go sledging with huskies and reindeer, there are so many ways to make Lapland the best place to spend a festive getaway and enjoy the winter.”

According to information from Finnair, flights from London Gatwick will start at just £210 return in economy. Passengers can enjoy a 23kg baggage allowance, and free inflight drinks and dining on their way to see the big man himself.

Filling in the Thomas Cook gap

Much of this added capacity over the festive period is a reaction to the demise of Thomas Cook. Thomas Cook was previously one of the biggest operator of Lapland trips, both from the UK and elsewhere. Now, Finnair is stepping up with numerous extra flights to ensure everyone gets to see Santa this year.

Finnair told Simple Flying,

“Following the exit of Thomas Cook, Finnair boosted its seasonal services with up to three extra flights a day from Helsinki to three top destinations in Lapland: Ivalo, Kittilä and Rovaniemi. Finnair flies up to seven times daily from London Heathrow, double daily from Manchester, six times a week from Edinburgh and nine times a week from Dublin – with quick connections to destinations throughout Finland.”

Overall, Finnair is operating an additional 23 flights in total between the 20^th December and 5^th January to accommodate the loss of capacity from Thomas Cook. These are in addition to the new routes from London Gatwick.

Have you been to see Santa this year? Will you go on Finnair? Let us know in the comments.