London Gatwick to offer a total of 120 flights bound for Lapland this winter

• 120 flights from Gatwick to Lapland are scheduled for December – more than any other airport in the UK
• The rise in flights is a response to the growing number of Brits looking to visit Father Christmas’ hometown
• A number of new destinations – including Aarhus and Cologne – have also been added to Gatwick’s network in time for Christmas market season

GATWICK, UK, 2018-Nov-09 — /Travel PR News/ — London Gatwick has today (08/11/2018) announced that it will offer more flights to the home of Father Christmas than any other UK airport this winter – with a total of 120 flights bound for Lapland in December.

Six destinations in and around the Lapland region – Enontekiö, Ivalo, Kittilä, Kuusamo, Tromsø and the capital, Rovaniemi – can all be reached direct from Gatwick. In comparison, the UK airport with the second highest number of Lapland services in December is offering a third fewer flights than Gatwick.

The airport’s record number of services comes in response to growing demand from British tourists to visit Lapland – the northernmost region of Finland, famed for its association with Father Christmas. Last December, the number of British visitors to Rovaniemi was up +13.9% on the previous year*.

Gatwick has already seen a surge in passengers travelling to Lapland this year, even before the festive season has begun. In October, the number of passengers heading to Rovaniemi from Gatwick almost tripled year-on-year.

The airport has also launched a number of new winter routes to provide passengers with more choice when picking their Christmas market destination. New flights to Aarhus and Warsaw with easyJet have already taken off, with new British Airways services to Cologne and Lyon set to follow in the coming weeks.

Plus, this December Gatwick will offer more flights than ever before to the European cities with some of the most renowned Christmas markets in the world – with 315 flights going to Amsterdam, 306 to Geneva and 227 to Copenhagen.

Stephen King, Head of Airline Relations, Gatwick Airport said:

“It’s fitting that Gatwick now offers more flights to Lapland than any other UK airport, as this winter wonderland is the ultimate family destination and Gatwick is widely recognised as the ultimate family airport. The number of Brits travelling to Lapland for a winter escape is rapidly increasing every year and we’re pleased to be responding to that demand.

“If meeting Father Christmas or going on a sleigh ride doesn’t tick the winter holiday box, Gatwick’s short-haul network of over 160 routes offers something for everyone, with new services to breath-taking destinations like Aarhus and Cologne and more flights than ever before to many of our passengers’ old favourites.”

NOTES

*Source: Visit Rovaniemi tourism statistics, December 2017

About Gatwick Airport

Gatwick’s 2018 draft master plan sets out proposals for the airport’s ongoing development and sustainable growth. It also outlines the airport’s latest thinking on how it can meet the increasing demand for air travel and provide Britain with enhanced global connectivity. A public consultation will run on the draft master plan until 10 January 2019 and will help inform the publication of the final master plan next year.

Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport. It serves more than 228 destinations in 74 countries for 45 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver and generates around 85,000 jobs nationally, with 24,000 of these located on the airport. The airport is south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.

For further information on Gatwick Airport see www.gatwickairport.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport

Media enquiries to:
GATWICK AIRPORT PRESS OFFICE
+ 44 (0) 1293 505000
gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com

Source: GATWICK AIRPORT

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