Airlines' use of Finnish airspace more than doubles in ten years

Overflight rights earn Finavia nearly EUR nine million a year

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Finnish airspace, especially in the southern part of the country, is in high demand.
      On an ordinary day, up to ten long-haul scheduled flights between Central Europe and Asia might be using Finnish airspace at a time.
      Up to about 50 overflights occur in a typical day, adding up to more than 11,000 a year. Fees paid by the airlines for overflight rights earn Finavia, Finland’s civil aviation authority, about EUR nine million a year.
      When other routes are included, the total number of flights over Finland exceeds 18,000 a year. The total has more than doubled in ten years.
      Assuming that each flight has an average of 200 passengers, more than three million foreigners could get a chance to glimpse the Finnish landscape with its forests and lakes while en route to their destinations.
     
The reason for the high demand for Finnish airspace stems from the shape of the earth and Finland’s position on it. The shortest distance from Central Europe to Asia, and from Western Russia to North America is over Finland.
      "It gives the shortest flight time, so costs are reduced. Wind conditions also affect the daily choice of routes very much. Depending on wind conditions, the number of overflights can vary from 20 to about 40", says Jouko Pelkonen, head of the Air Navigation Services Centre for South Finland (EFES).
      Also attracting foreign airlines are the prices that Finland charges for overflights, which are the lowest in the Nordic Countries.
      The increase in overflights can be seen, especially on cold, cloudless winter days when several trails left by jets might be visible at any one time.
     
The radar at EFES headquarters in Tampere shows the use of airspace in the south of Finland at all times.
      The rising economic importance of Asia is apparent in the use of Finnish airspace. Jouko Pelkonen points out a Japan Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Osaka to London somewhere near Jämsä, while an Air France Airbus from Paris to Tokyo is in the vicinity of Kangasniemi.
      There are also a couple of Jumbo jets and a number of Japanese flights to destinations in Europe.
      Nevertheless, the greatest number of flights are Finnish domestic services, and flights between Finland and European destinations. The total number of airborne scheduled flights in Finnish airspace at one time can reach up to 70. Such moments occur early in the morning, as working days begin, and again at about three in the afternoon.
      The quietest times are between two and four in the morning, but it is rare that the skies over Finland would be completely empty of commercial flights.


Links:
  Air Navigation Services Centre for South Finland (EFES)

Helsingin Sanomat