A total of 131 flights were cancelled across Finland on May 15, making it the country’s worst day for flight disruptions so far this year, according to passenger rights service AirAdvisor.
The disruption was triggered by a security alert over suspected drone activity at Helsinki Airport, which brought air traffic to a halt for around three hours.
The alert was later found to be unfounded.
AirAdvisor said it analysed 730 flight records from the day. At Helsinki Airport alone, 103 flights were cancelled, accounting for the vast majority of cancellations nationwide.
Flights that did operate were delayed by an average of 18 minutes.
Finnair hit by 62 cancellations
Finnair was the airline most affected by the disruption in AirAdvisor’s Finnish data, with 62 flights cancelled during the day.
Helsinki Airport is Finnair’s main hub, meaning even a relatively short shutdown can quickly affect flights that were not originally scheduled to depart or arrive during the interruption itself.
The effects were also felt elsewhere in Finland’s aviation network.
According to AirAdvisor, the Helsinki–Copenhagen and Helsinki–Oulu routes recorded the highest number of cancellations, with 13 flights cancelled on each route. Another 11 flights were cancelled between Oulu and Helsinki.
Oulu Airport recorded 11 cancellations in total, while Rovaniemi saw ten.
Disruptions can continue well after an airport resumes operations. Aircraft and crews that are no longer in the right place at the right time can cause knock-on delays and cancellations on later departures and connecting services.