Northern tourism professionals gathered for the traditional North Ostrobothnia Tourism Forum on 13 November. Topics of discussion included food tourism, the Capital of Culture year, and airBaltic’s upcoming flight connection to Oulu. The Oulu region still has great growth potential in international tourism, which will be supported by the direct connection between Oulu and Riga.
AirBaltic will begin flights between Oulu and Riga on March 29, 2026. The company will fly the route from Oulu to Riga on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, departing from Oulu at 5:00 a.m. and arriving in Riga at 6:30 a.m. Flights from Riga to Oulu will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 11:20 p.m., arriving in Oulu at 1:30 a.m.
airBaltic connects Oulu via Latvia to key destinations in Europe and, conversely, Europe to Northern Finland.
Fast connections from Riga
AirBaltic’s return to Oulu Airport after a long hiatus has been widely welcomed. However, some passengers have criticised the early and late flight times. According to the company’s Head of Sales in the Nordics, Jan Nyholm, the schedules have been carefully planned: they enable fast and affordable connections from Oulu via Latvia to Europe’s most important destinations and, conversely, from Europe to Northern Finland.
– When you board the plane in Oulu in the morning, you’ll be in Berlin in less than four hours, Nyholm said.
AirBaltic’s total travel time from Oulu to Berlin via Riga is exactly 3 hours and 40 minutes. The journey to Paris takes less than five hours, to London just over five hours, and to Rhodes less than six hours.
– This creates new opportunities for international cooperation in both directions, Nyholm emphasised to representatives of the tourism industry.
AirBaltic, whose home base is Riga, also used to fly between Oulu and Turku, but that route was discontinued after a relatively short time. According to Nyholm, the company is very different today than it was back then, and the change began as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now operating with around 50 aircraft, AirBaltic has consciously built a hybrid model that falls between traditional and low-cost airlines, offering high-quality service at competitive prices.
– We take the best of both business models, Nyholm summed up, adding that the company aims to double its fleet in the coming years.
With around fifty A220-300 aircraft, airBaltic's hybrid model is positioned between traditional and low-cost airlines.
Strategy for the future and regional development
The Head of Sales explained that Oulu as a destination supports airBaltic’s strategic perspective.
– Of course, the visibility that comes with being the European Capital of Culture helps in launching the connection, and the awareness facilitates our marketing and PR efforts. The region is now perhaps better known than any of our other new destinations, Jan Nyholm pointed out.
An interesting link between airBaltic’s home region and Oulu is the fact that Oulu will be the European Capital of Culture next year and Liepaja, Latvia, the year after in 2027.
– We are by no means focusing solely on the coming year. We take a long-term view of Oulu as our fourth permanent destination in Finland, alongside Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere. We want to operate year-round and continue to support this region also in the future, Nyholm explained the company’s strategy.
Jan Nyholm said that, based on the day’s presentations, he was genuinely surprised at how colourful and valuable the region is in terms of tourism when it comes to North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, and ultimately the whole of Northern Finland.
– Based on what I heard at the tourism forum, I can say that the region has really good potential. It’s a huge and diverse area with lots of different providers and destinations. All opportunities for international tourism and business are truly open. We are delighted that we can also help entrepreneurs in the region to find new customers around the world and bring them here, Nyholm envisioned.
- We are delighted to be supporting the development of international tourism in the region with this air bridge from Oulu to Europe via Riga, said Jan Nyholm as he prepared to return home.