Finnish Lappeenranta to become Ryanair's gate to Russia?
Lappeenranta is a small Finnish town (just 60.000 inhabitants) beautifully situated on the shore of the country's biggest lake Saimaa, less then 30 km from the Russian border. Potentially a very attractive place for nature's lovers and perfect for water sports, the town and its airport could also became a strategic expansion point for Ryanair.
The carrier has recently expressed its interest in expanding the operations in Finland. This would include both additional connections from/to Tampere and some new flying destinations in the country. As a disappointment to some, Helsinki-Vantaa has already been excluded. At present, the most anticipated among several possible candidates has been the northern town of Oulu, serving as a starting point to Lappland. Somewhat as a surprise, Lappeenranta could be an other one destination. Its location on the Russian border and only some 200km from historical St. Petersburg, undoubtedly the most attractive city of Northern Europe, are pretty strong arguments. Some talks on that issue with Finnish aviation administration have already been held. The possible link would be the fist low-cost option to Russia for Westeners, but also a new gate to Western Europe for 5 million inhabitants of this Russia's second largest city.