'Unforgettable experience!' British Airways launches new route to European region with 'spectacular views'

The airline said: "British Airways has added Lapland to its list, and checked it twice, as it prepares to launch new flights to Santa Claus’s home region this winter."

Twice-weekly flights will depart from London Gatwick to Ivalo, which is home to Finland’s most northerly airport.

British Airways said: "Ivalo is a village on the Ivalo River in Lapland, located in the Arctic Circle. It welcomes visitors from all over the world, particularly during the winter months, to enjoy cold weather and Christmas activities.

"It is known as a gateway to Saariselkä, a resort village attracting those who enjoy winter sports from skiing and snowmobile safaris to toboggan rides and snowshoeing."

Ivalo can provide fun for all the family, from little ones who’d "like to hand deliver their Christmas lists to Saint Nick at the Northern Lights Village in Saariselkä", to those who want to catch the "spectacular views" of the northern lights.

Holidaymakers might want to book a snow tour with huskies. One visitor to Extreme Huskies called it an "unforgettable experience", and another said it was "absolutely unique".

Flights will be operated by BA Euroflyer, British Airways’ short-haul subsidiary based at London Gatwick’s South Terminal.

Customers can take skiing or snowboarding equipment as part of their checked baggage so long as the bag is within 190 x 75 x 65cm.

CEO of BA Euroflyer Tom Stoddart commented: "Our BA Euroflyer network continues to grow, and we are excited for a new addition to our winter schedule, alongside the likes of Innsbruck and Geneva.

"Lapland is synonymous with winter and Ivalo is blanketed in snow for a large part of the year, so customers can expect a white Christmas, with some red and blue sprinkled in from British Airways for good measure."

This comes as British Airways welcomes a new route to a "beautiful" European city with "majestic" views. Here, holidaymakers can "enjoy nature in its purest form".

Return flights are available now from £345 and will run twice a week until February 14, 2025.

For Britons in search of a hotter holiday, BA Euroflyer has also launched new flights to Larnaca, Cyprus.

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Flights will operate daily for the winter season from November 4, 2024 as morning departures, returning in the late afternoon. Saturday flights will operate for the first five weeks only.

British Airways said: "Larnaca will be served by both London Heathrow and London Gatwick for winter, offering customers a wider choice of departure airports for winter sun."

But British Airways isn't the only airline offering Britons new travel opportunities.

easyJet has launched six new routes to stunning destinations in Europe and beyond from a UK airport.