Air transport is an important part of an efficient and well-functioning transport system and a key factor for competitiveness of Finland. Economic growth in Finland is based on export, but the country is located far from the market areas for our products. Logistically, Finland is an island; without air transport, it would not be able to perform swift overnight carriages or move goods to the larger market areas of Europe. Flying to Central Europe takes a couple of hours, while the travel time with other forms of transport is several days.
The International Air Transport Association IATA and Oxford Economics estimated in 2019 that around 70 000 jobs in Finland were supported by air transport and tourists arriving by air, based on 2017-2018 data. In total, 2.5 per cent of Finland’s GDP was estimated to be supported by inputs to the air transport sector and foreign tourists arriving by air. Europe is the largest market for passenger flows to and from Finland, followed by Asia-Pacific and North America. Finland is an important gateway for traffic to North Asia and connections to Asia-Pacific have grown the fastest over the last five years.1 The aviation industry is also a key enabler of many other economic activities.