BRITISH Airways has announced a brand new route that will be launched later this year.
The UK’s flag carrier serves more than 190 destinations across more than 65 countries and is adding another location to that extensive list.
While it may be summer now, some parents are already thinking about winter trips to Lapland.
They can now book them with BA, with a new route jetting off from London Gatwick twice a week from December 3.
The flights will land in Ivalo, Finland’s most northerly airport, and a great place from which to access Lapland.
Ivalo is a village on the Ivalo River, 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’s 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.
Parents taking their kids to meet Santa can meet him at the Northern Lights Village in the resort.
Ivalo’s remote location also lends itself to spectacular views of the northern lights.
Flights will be operated by BA Euroflyer, British Airways’ short-haul subsidiary based at London Gatwick’s South Terminal.
Winter sport fans can take skiing or snowboarding equipment as part of their checked baggage, so long as the bag is within 190x75x65cm.
Tom Stoddart, CEO of BA Euroflyer, said: “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.”
Return flights are available now from £345 and will run twice a week until February 14, 2025
Ivalo joins Tromsø in Norway, which was announced as another new winter destination for British Airways last week.
What are the passport rules?
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot has explained exactly what Brits need to know.
“Travellers used to be able to roll over up to nine unused months from their old passport onto a new one.
“But post-Brexit, anyone wanting to travel to the EU can no longer rely on those extra months.
“In order to travel to the EU, all passports must be no more than 10 years old on the day you arrive in your European destination.
“And you’ll need at least three months on your passport on the day you head back to the UK.
“Figures have shown up to 100,000 holidaymakers a year face being turned away at airports if their passport is more than 10 years old.
“The 10-year rule only applies to countries in the European Union but every country may have different rules on what is accepted – some countries like South Africa, for example, insist you have at least six months left on your passport when you travel and a full clear page.”
In addition to Ivalo, BA Euroflyer has also launched new flights to Larnaca, Cyprus for anyone hoping to get some winter sun instead of a cold trip up north.
Those flights will operate daily for throughout the season from November 4.
This means that BA will be flying to Larnaca from both London Heathrow and London Gatwick for winter.
BA aren’t the only airline to have announced new flights this week, with Ryanair and TUI both due to launch new services from Bournemouth.
Ryanair launched new flights from the airport to Agadir in Morocco, while TUI launched thousands more seats from Bournemouth Airport to destinations across Greece and Spain.
And Jet2 confirmed the airport would become it’s 12th UK base, with 16 new flights to launch from the airport next summer.