A commercial aircraft carrying around 150 people slid off the runway during landing at Kittila Airport in Finland’s Lapland region. The incident occurred amidst stormy weather conditions, but fortunately, there were no reported injuries. The aircraft came to a halt in deep snow, as confirmed by Finnish airport operator Finavia.
In a separate event, a smaller aircraft with 10 individuals on board also encountered an incident at Kittila Airport. The aircraft hit a snowbank, but similar to the previous case, no injuries were reported. The disruptions caused by these incidents led to delays in flight operations at Kittila Airport, as recovery efforts were underway to clear the affected aircraft.
The adverse weather conditions not only affected Kittila Airport but also impacted air traffic at Rovaniemi and Ivalo, both situated in Lapland. These conditions resulted in delays and cancellations of flights at the respective airports. Finavia mentioned that due to severe weather, air traffic restrictions and disruptions were in effect at Ivalo, Kittila, and Rovaniemi airports.
Despite the challenges posed by the stormy weather, flight operations eventually resumed at Ivalo and Kittila airports in the evening. However, air traffic remained suspended at Rovaniemi. Finavia continued to monitor the situation closely, assessing wind strength and conditions in collaboration with air traffic control to determine the feasibility of flight operations.
Ivalo, Kittila, and Rovaniemi are popular winter tourist destinations, experiencing increased air traffic during the holiday season. The Finnish Meteorological Institute reported that Storm Hannes, a low-pressure system, was moving south across northern Finland, bringing strong north-northwesterly winds. The storm was forecasted to peak late Saturday evening before gradually subsiding.
