America News Agency

On Sunday, as temperatures fell below minus 35 degrees, all flights departing from Kittila Airport in Lapland to destinations such as London, Bristol, Manchester, Paris and Amsterdam during the winter season were cancelled.

According to forecasts by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, temperatures are expected to drop as low as minus 39 degrees on Monday as well, and therefore the problem is expected to persist.

The extreme cold makes aircraft de-icing operations difficult, while ground maintenance and refuelling equipment can also freeze.

Airport operator Finavia told public broadcaster Yle that moisture in the air forms slippery ice, further worsening the situation.

Lapland, which spans northern Norway, Sweden and Finland, is known for its cold and snow. According to data from the Finnish tourism board, the average winter temperature in Finnish Lapland is usually around minus 14 degrees, occasionally dropping to as low as minus 30 degrees.

Kittila Airport mainly serves travellers heading to nearby ski resorts and those wishing to see the Northern Lights, while the more southern Rovaniemi Airport is the “official” arrival point for visitors to Santa Claus’s folkloric home.

The cold weather has also made roads particularly dangerous, and Fintraffic issued warnings about icy conditions in the region.

According to Yle, citing local police, a bus carrying Ukrainian passengers slid into a ditch on Sunday morning. No serious injuries were reported.

The unusually cold weather in Lapland coincides with a storm affecting Northern Europe, bringing winter conditions and transport disruptions to the United Kingdom, France and Germany.