With the new contracts, an attempt is made to direct the routes to be more market-based than before.
of HS according to the information, the government has reached a preliminary agreement on the continuation of the current provincial flights at least until 2026.
The issue will finally be agreed upon during the government’s budget meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.
After the expiration of the current contracts, the state makes new contracts with the companies operating the flights.
The purpose of the new purchase agreements is to direct flights more to market conditions so that less government subsidies are needed.
The current support period for the Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kajaani, Kemi and Kokkola routes will continue until the end of April next year. Pori traffic has been tendered until the end of next year.
The Åland route has been agreed upon by the provincial government, and according to the Ministry of Transport and Communications (LVM), it will end on September 30, 2024. The bidding process for the Savonlinna connection until the end of 2025 was ongoing at least as late as August.
of LVM along to Joensuu, Flights between Jyväskylä, Kajaani, Kemi and Kokkola airports and Helsinki-Vantaa have been subsidized in the years 2021–2023 with a total of more than 42 million euros. After the corona, the basis of subsidies has been especially the accessibility of the areas and the needs of business life.
The provinces have considered daily flights essential for the continuity of the operating conditions of the region’s business life. The municipalities have also participated in the financing.
According to the memorandum published by LVM at the beginning of September, for example, the purchase traffic for flights to Savonlinna is jointly acquired by the state and the city of Savonlinna.
The state pays half of the costs and Savonlinna pays half, but the state does not exceed one million euros. The connection to Pori, on the other hand, is completely paid for by the city of Pori.
To the new ones a security clause is prepared for the purchase contracts, which is put into use if it is impossible to operate profitably on the route.
According to the preliminary agreement, more money must be set aside to support the routes than was intended at the beginning of September. Along with HS’s information, it is about some millions of euros.
The government program records have been the basis of the negotiations.
According to them, among other things, Finavia’s current airport network will be maintained, Finland’s internal air traffic will be developed primarily on market terms, securing the needs of business life and tourism as well as security of supply.
Read more: The state subsidizes a single passenger’s air journey more than 20 times more than a train journey
#Budget #rush #Information #Current #regional #flights #continue
