Will direct flights from Brussels turn Nordic skiing into a serious Alpine rival?
Brussels Airlines has added three scheduled Arctic routes for winter 2026-27, offering up to six weekly departures from Brussels Airport to northern Finland and Norway as the carrier seeks more leisure traffic outside the summer peak.
The routes give households a direct alternative to Alpine ski trips and let travellers book independently, but the meaningful comparison is the complete holiday bill: fares, checked ski equipment, transfers, lift passes, lodging and local prices. For Brussels Airlines and airport businesses, the larger issue is whether winter leisure demand can improve year-round use of aircraft, staff and infrastructure.
has put up to six weekly scheduled flights to the Nordic north into its winter 2026-27 timetable, adding Kittilä and in and in to its network from . Announced on 17 August, the programme gives independent travellers direct access to winter regions that the airline previously served mainly through charter partnerships with tour operators. Tickets are now on sale, although the carrier has not disclosed booking numbers, introductory fare comparisons or route-level profitability targets.
Kittilä receives the largest commitment: three flights a week from 10 December to 27 March. The airport serves Finnish Lapland and the ski areas around Levi and Ylläs. will receive up to two weekly services between 25 December and 10 March, while , serving the Harstad-Narvik area in northern , will be flown once a week during February and March. says Airbus A320-family aircraft will operate the routes; its booking information puts the flight to Kittilä at roughly three hours and 20 minutes.
That does not mean Belgian skiers are about to abandon the en masse. Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland retain larger ski domains, greater vertical drops, extensive accommodation markets and habits built over generations. ’s own 2025 traffic figures show Switzerland among its ten largest country markets, whereas no Nordic country made that list. Price will also matter: families need to compare the full cost of flights, baggage, transfers, lift passes, equipment and accommodation, not simply the airfare displayed first on a booking page.
The Nordic offer is nevertheless becoming commercially credible. TUI fly began a weekly service to Scandinavian Mountains Airport near Sälen in Sweden in December 2025, placing the Sälen and Trysil resorts within about an hour’s onward journey. That route was one of six passenger destinations added at during 2025. is now widening the map beyond a single resort gateway, while keeping charter flights operated with travel agencies alongside the new scheduled services.
For the airline, the logic is as much about aircraft utilisation as changing holiday tastes. European aviation is strongly seasonal, with demand peaking in summer. A winter leisure network can keep aircraft and crews productive when beach traffic subsides. has already pursued the warmer version of this strategy by adding winter capacity to the Canary Islands and Madeira. The routes diversify that bet: some customers want guaranteed sun, while others will pay for snow, northern lights and a broader Lapland experience.
The experiment comes at a financially sensitive moment. , a carrier employing more than 3,500 people, carried 9.1 million passengers on over 68,000 flights in 2025, 11% more flights than a year earlier. Revenue rose 7% to more than €1.6 billion, but adjusted operating profit fell 52% to €28 million and the margin declined to 1.7%, according to the company. Seven national trade-union action days, including protests backed by Belgian unions over federal reforms, cost the airline an estimated €15 million. Thin seasonal routes therefore need to attract enough passengers at workable fares, not merely generate an appealing destination map.
has its own reason to welcome the expansion. It handled 24.4 million passengers in 2025, 3.3% more than in 2024, with leisure travel and visits to friends and relatives driving the strongest growth. The airport said seven national action days suppressed the annual total by about 275,000 passengers. More winter destinations can help balance demand across the year and support airport retailers, ground handlers and tourism intermediaries, although the number of jobs or additional passengers attributable to these three routes has not been published.
For households, the practical gain is competition and choice rather than an assured bargain. Scheduled flights allow travellers to assemble their own holiday instead of buying a fixed charter package, potentially combining accommodation, transfers and activities to suit their budget. The reverse is also true: packages can offer protection and bundled prices that an independently booked trip lacks. Ski equipment rules, airport transfers and the cost of food and lodging in or can materially change the final bill.
Climate pressure supplies the broader backdrop, but it should not be mistaken for a guarantee that northern resorts are immune. A 2023 study in found that, without snowmaking, 53% of 2,234 European ski resorts studied would face a very high risk of insufficient snow at 2°C of global warming, rising to 98% at 4°C. The likewise reports decreasing snowfall across Europe, especially at lower elevations. Northern destinations may enjoy a relative advantage over vulnerable low-altitude Alpine resorts, yet Nordic ski areas also face warming, variable local conditions and their own dependence on artificial snow.
Flying farther north also complicates any claim that this is a climate-friendly substitute. The same research notes that snowmaking is only one part of skiing’s footprint; passenger transport remains important. A more snow-reliable destination can reduce the risk of a disappointing holiday, but a direct flight does not by itself make that holiday sustainable.
The decisive evidence will arrive after the first full season. Load factors, fares, repeat bookings and whether restores or increases the routes for winter 2027-28 will show whether this is a durable market or a carefully limited seasonal trial. For now, the remain the benchmark. What has changed is that offers Belgian travellers a practical northern alternative—and gives airlines another way to earn revenue through the quieter winter months.
Impact
Regional — The immediate economic effects centre on Brussels Airport in Zaventem and its ecosystem of ground handlers, retailers, travel agencies and transport providers. The companies have not quantified the additional Belgian passenger volume or employment attached to the routes.
Local — The clearest local effects are at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, where the additional winter services involve ground handling, retail, passenger transport, travel agencies and other airport-linked businesses. More scheduled leisure flying outside the summer peak may support steadier use of airport infrastructure and airline resources. However, Brussels Airlines and Brussels Airport have not quantified how many additional Belgian passengers, jobs or local revenues the three routes are expected to generate, so the scale of the benefit for Zaventem remains unconfirmed.
International — The routes deepen direct passenger links between Belgium, Finland and Norway and broaden Brussels Airport’s northern European winter network. They also connect a Belgian travel decision with a Europe-wide climate issue: declining natural-snow reliability at ski resorts. The service may shift some winter demand from Alpine destinations toward Arctic ones, but the available evidence does not establish the likely scale. Finland is an EU member state, while Norway is a cross-border European destination outside the EU.
What it means for you
Travellers can compare direct Nordic options with Alpine holidays for winter 2026-27. Kittilä service runs three times weekly from 10 December 2026 to 27 March 2027; Kemi receives up to two weekly flights from 25 December 2026 to 10 March 2027; and Evenes has one weekly flight during February and March. Before booking, compare the complete trip price rather than airfare alone: checked ski equipment, airport transfers, accommodation, lift passes and local spending can change which destination is cheaper. Scheduled service also lets travellers book components independently instead of buying a tour-operator package.
Opposing perspectives
- Brussels Airlines and Nordic tourism operators
The airline sees growing demand for Arctic winter holidays and argues that scheduled flights give travellers more choice than charter-only programmes. Nordic resorts can sell snow activities, northern lights and wilderness alongside skiing, helping airlines generate leisure demand outside the summer peak.
- Alpine resorts and established ski travellers
The Alps retain decisive advantages in scale, vertical terrain, road accessibility, accommodation depth and familiarity. A handful of seasonal flights from Brussels does not demonstrate a mass migration, while Scandinavian lodging, food and transfers may offset any attractive airfare.
- Climate researchers and low-carbon travel advocates
Northern resorts may be relatively more snow-reliable than low-altitude Alpine competitors, but they are not insulated from warming. Flying farther for snow also creates transport emissions, so greater reliability should not be confused with a lower-carbon holiday.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Belgian origin market for the scheduled Nordic flights.
Municipality where Brussels Airport and its local business ecosystem are located.
Country containing Evenes and linked directly to Brussels by the new service.
Northern region promoted through the airline’s winter route programme.
The Zaventem hub from which the new winter flights will depart.
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Country containing Evenes and linked directly to Brussels by the new service.
Municipality where Brussels Airport and its local business ecosystem are located.
Belgian origin market for the scheduled Nordic flights.
Northern region promoted through the airline’s winter route programme.
Finnish destination scheduled for three weekly flights from 10 December 2026 to 27 March 2027.
Finnish destination receiving up to two weekly flights from 25 December 2026 to 10 March 2027.
Northern Norwegian destination receiving one weekly flight in February and March 2027.
EU member state containing the Kittilä and Kemi destinations.
Established European ski region against which Nordic winter trips are compared.
The Zaventem hub from which the new winter flights will depart.
Belgium’s Lufthansa Group network carrier adding the three scheduled Arctic routes.
The airline group to which Brussels Airlines belongs.
Scientific journal that published the cited research on European ski-resort snow risk.
EU agency providing supporting indicators on changes in European snow and ice.
Belgian newspaper reporting on whether Scandinavian skiing could rival Alpine trips.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceHet NieuwsbladPrimaryprimary· nieuwsblad.beRetrieved 24 August 2026
- View sourceBrussels Airlines — Nordic route announcementofficial· press.brusselsairlines.com· 17 August 2026Retrieved 24 August 2026· 46 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBrussels Airport — 2025 traffic resultsofficial· brusselsairport.be· 14 January 2026Retrieved 24 August 2026· 261 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBrussels Airport — winter 2025-26 destinationsofficial· pressroom.brusselsairport.be· 15 October 2025Retrieved 24 August 2026· 352 days ago· Dated
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.