Five Finnish Towns Will Soon Have to Earn Their Flights

Finnair has said it will operate scheduled flights to five regional Finnish destinations on a commercial basis from late February 2028. The cities are Kajaani, Kemi, Kokkola, Joensuu and Jyväskylä, and the flights will be operated with ATR turboprop aircraft.

The change matters because these routes are currently supported by public service obligation, or PSO, contracts, under which the state helps pay for flights that might not otherwise be viable. Moving to a purely commercial model means Finnair, rather than a government subsidy arrangement, will carry the financial risk of the services.

For residents and businesses in the five cities, the announcement is mostly reassuring: it indicates that the airline sees enough demand to keep serving them, and it gives travelers a continued link to Helsinki and the Finnair network beyond. Regional connectivity in Finland is important because of the country’s long distances and sparse population outside the south.

Details such as schedules, frequencies and fares have not been published. Ticket sales are expected to open in spring 2027, so travelers have time before anything is bookable. Whether the commercial model proves durable will depend on how well the routes fill, and the airline’s plans could change if demand falls short of expectations.

Sources: Economy Class & Beyond, Aviation Week