TTG joined the first flight on Tuesday 3 December to Santa’s backyard along with a group of agents with representatives from northern lights specialist operator Aurora Zone.

BA’s inaugural Ivalo season will run through to the end of February 2025. Next year, the service will be extended to cover the period from early November 2025 through to the end of March 2026.

Two services a week operate from Gatwick to Ivalo on Tuesdays and Fridays departing 8.30am, arriving 1.45pm local time. Return flights will depart Ivalo 3.10pm, arriving Gatwick at 5pm UK time.

BA will operate the route using Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.

From Ivalo, travellers will be able to venture further into the heart of northern Lapland, ideal for couples seeking a romantic getaway or snowsports enthusiasts – customers can take ski or snowboarding equipment, within certain dimensions, as checked baggage.

Families with children, meanwhile, can take a short transfer to the town of Saariselka and the Northern Lights Village resort with its Santa-themed activities, husky-sledding and snowmobiling.

Des O’Connor, manager of revenue management at BA’s short-haul subsidiary BA Euroflyer, said the destination had been in the pipeline for a while. “We’d been looking at Ivalo for around 12 months and finally pressed the green button in April 2024 for the service to begin in December.

"It’s quite an in-depth process, looking at the network and where we think there’s demand; dealing with local tourism and airport authorities; working with our operations team; then finally with commercial and sales – pretty much the whole organisation is involved."

The trip was co-hosted by operator Aurora Zone, which specialises in northern lights itineraries in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland.

Product and operations assistant Alison Dingwall said: “The launch of the direct BA flights from London to Ivalo is fantastic news and makes travel to the area much more accessible, considerably reducing journey times and removing the logistics of connecting flights.

"With shorter flight times, travellers are more willing to embark on longer transfers once they have arrived in Ivalo, opening up a wider range of resorts. Wilderness Hotels and Northern Lights Village are two of our longest-standing partners in the region.

"We were the first company to solely focus on northern lights holidays in this area and they believed in our vision and share our value to deliver exceptional experiences for all our travellers.”

Chance for agents to use ‘personal’ touch

With regard to the trade, O’Connor said the trip was proof BA was eager to engage with operators on the possibilities raised by the new route, while Dingwall stressed agents were becoming increasingly important to Aurora Zone.

“We’re increasing and developing our relationships with the trade in the UK by inviting people to join fam trips,” she said. “We recognise it’s important for the trade to experience these incredible destinations first-hand.

"Those working in the trade often provide a service for repeat clients and know them on a personal level. With a clear understanding of the differences between locations and hotels, they can cherry-pick the most suitable trip for their clients.”

Asked about the target demographic for the new BA flight to Ivalo, O’Connor said: “It’s a mix. We’re obviously seeing lots of families but there’s a significant amount of couples too. The families obviously tend to travel during the school holidays, but we know the season is long enough for couples and skiers.

"We’ve put a lot of effort into making sure the flight times help maximise clients’ time in Ivalo – after arriving, they can get to the hotel comfortably and still have time to engage in activities on the first day.

"It’s the same on the return flight, there’s no rush for those with small children and there’s time to do some activities before having to transfer to Ivalo airport for the return flight. The days of operation have also been chosen carefully to offer three-, four- or seven-day breaks.”

O’Connor said sales have been solid for the debut season. He’s confident too that winter 2025/26 will see even greater demand. So would BA look to add more services if the route was successful? “Definitely, if the demand was there,” he added.

Return British Airways flights from Gatwick to Ivalo lead in from £349pp. Winter 2025/26 flights will go on sale in around two weeks’ time.

The Aurora Zone offers Finland itineraries starting at £3,635 per person for eight nights including BA flights, accommodation, 20 meals and activities.