Ryanair announces budget winter flights to Lapland from UK airports this year

Ryanair is offering flights to Lapland in time for Christmas this year as part of its 2023 winter schedule.

The budget airline has announced it will run flights to Lapland-Rovaniemi from several UK airports from October, offering families the opportunity to ring in the winter season with a visit to the land of festive cheer.

Located in Finland’s northernmost region, Lapland is a winter wonderland home to real-life reindeer, snow-topped woods and cosy log cabins.

Visitors will have the chance to make the most of the snow on reindeer-led sleigh rides, husky sledding through woodland, and a chance to see views of the spectacular Northern Lights. There will even be a chance for families to meet Father Christmas and his team of elves and reindeer.

Ryanair said it will run five regular flights per week from London Stansted, two flights per week from Liverpool, and four flights per week from Dublin starting from 30 October.

The airline warned that flights are expected to be in high demand and urged holidaymakers to book early to avoid being disappointed.

Ryanair’s head of communications Jade Kirwan said: “Lapland is every kid’s (big and small) dream with magical experiences that you will share with your family forever, including sleigh rides with real-life reindeer, husky sledding and of course, a special visit to the big man himself and his jolly team of elves.

“It’s never too early to start your Christmas planning, especially when it means getting ahead of the flock to secure the best fares available, so make sure to visit Ryanair.com today and book your once in a lifetime trip to Lapland this winter.”

The news comes after Ryanair warned it has been forced to cancel some flights to and from Belgium this weekend due to a strike by “a small number” of Belgium-based pilots. The airline said that more than 60% of its scheduled flights to and from the city of Charleroi will operate as planned on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 July, but several will not go ahead.

Ryanair said that all customers affected by the cancellations should have been contacted and advised of their options. Passengers can bring forward their flights to Friday 28 July or delay travel until Monday 31 July or Tuesday 1 August next week. Alternatively, customers will receive a full refund if they choose to cancel their flight booking.

Ryanair pilots based in Belgium are due to walkout on 29 and 30 July, with unions representing the striking workers demanding the reversal of pay cuts that were implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pilots’ union claims that Ryanair wants to maintain a 20% pay cut imposed during the pandemic, despite the company reporting profits this year. The strike is due to affect flights operating out of Brussels South Charleroi Airport, although not all Ryanair flights departing this airport have a Belgium-based pilot.

The industrial action will not affect Ryanair flights operating out of Brussels Airport, as this site is served by pilots based outside of Belgium. The latest walkout follows previous strike action by pilots earlier this month on 15 and 16 July, and further industrial action could come if the dispute fails to be resolved.