Last weekend, a fierce winter storm dubbed Hannes in Finland (Johannes in Sweden) threw Lapland into chaos, grounding around 20 flights in Rovaniemi and halting operations at Kittila and Ivalo airports ⛄️✈️
By Monday, over 1,000 travelers were still stuck, as regional airports scrambled to reopen an old terminal at Rovaniemi. The Finnish Red Cross rolled in blankets and mattresses for those shivering overnight ❄️🛏️
Lapland's winter tourism is booming – think Santa Claus Village, ski slopes, and the Northern Lights – so hotels filled up fast. Airlines face the tough job of arranging backup planes and rooms on short notice in this remote region.
Henri Hansson from Finavia noted that seasonal destinations like Lapland often lack extra aircraft for sudden rescheduling. Sanna Karkkainen of Visit Rovaniemi says this storm highlights the need for better prep as extreme weather events become more common.
The storm also wreaked havoc on power lines: about 190,000 Finnish homes went dark at its peak, and rail operator VR reported long-distance train delays of up to seven hours, affecting 10,000 passengers 🚆⚡️
Across in Sweden, roughly 50,000 households lost power, and sadly three people died from falling trees. Fortunately, Finland reported no storm-related fatalities.
As winter travel surges, Lapland's infrastructure faces the test of ever-wilder weather. Travelers, stay flexible and pack extra layers – and patience 🧣✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
