Jingle bells and hearty laughters echo in the city of Mumbai as Santa Claus arrives in India for the first time on his official airline Finnair.
Let’s rewind to a few months ago in August 2022, when the official flag carrier of Finland, Finnair’s first-ever direct flight from Mumbai took off from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The inaugural flight cemented the ground for easier connectivity of Finland with India, making over fifteen different cities of the Nordic country accessible to and from Mumbai, one of which is Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus.
Interestingly, Rovaniemi is a hot topic of travel for travellers all around the world as it is home to the Santa Claus Village that is open throughout the year, where they can meet the red outfit-clad, jolly man himself.
But a wind of excitement and sheer curiosity ran through the rather tropical city of Mumbai, miles and miles away from the snowcapped Nordic country, when Finnair decided to finally bring Santa Claus to India for the first time ever this year. Over a few days of him sleighing through the city, Santa met the TravelDine team at one of his quick pitstops at The St. Regis Mumbai, where he was also seen hanging out with the kids and their parents as a part of his meet and greet activities.
When we asked the man himself, what brought Santa Claus to Mumbai? He promptly expressed, “I do this every year, going around the world across continents and countries and visiting hospitals, meeting kids and senior citizens.” Decked up in a bright red coat, warm embroidered socks, tiny round glasses resting on his nose and a classic red, furry cap, Santa added, “I have come to India to share the Christmas spirit with the people here and see their beautiful smiles.”
Year after year, Santa has been covering many miles with Finnair, which is the official airline of Santa Claus since 1983, travelling to cities like Singapore and Tokyo. And what better time than 2022 for him to visit India marking the direct connectivity between Finland and Mumbai. Now that he was basking in the breezy air of the bustling city fringed by the Arabian Sea, he said, “It’s a different experience being in Mumbai where the weather and geography are so different from the wet and cold climate of Finland.”
But what does Santa Claus love the most about his Nordic hometown? “The thing I love about Finland is its nature, the forests, lakes and snow. Back at my residence in Santa Claus village, the elves are my favourite of course, and the reindeer farm as well!”
The magical thing about the Reindeer Farm, which is about a one-hour drive from Rovaniemi city centre, is that none of its surroundings is orchestrated for the travellers. Every part of the farm is showcased as it is, in its organic and authentic way where one can meet real reindeer herders and even adopt or gift a reindeer, too!
A country that sits right in the nexus of northern Europe embraces some of the most spectacular locations that at one glance resemble picturesque artworks. For Santa Claus, there are some places that he thinks travellers must visit when in Finland, “One should go to the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights of course, then the Santa Claus Village and must swim in the lake, too.”
Finland has thousands of freshwater lakes, and taking a dip in these water holes has been a cultural phenomenon for a long time now. If there’s something that connects our country with Finland according to Santa is how technology-progressive both nations are and not to forget how warm, hospitable and kind the people are.
A representative of Finnair’s communications team divulges that in the post-pandemic world, India is fast becoming one of the crucial markets for the airline and holds a lot of potential as the Indian traveller is currently looking for newer destinations, especially the ones that are unexplored. She says, “In India, we see distinct groups of travellers choosing Finnair. While some are well-heeled leisure travellers, a lot of them are business travellers as well, who fly to other parts of Europe or the US. We also have a lot of Indian students who take our flight to their academic destinations around Europe and the US.”
Sustainability has been a recurring point of conversation for the airline too, wherein the naturally rich aspect of the Nordic country is thoughtfully translated in the experience of Finnair. The representative says, “At Finnair, when it comes to being sustainable, we look at the aircraft fuel, recyclable packaging and fabrics, and reducing the plastic waste.” When onboard Finnair, like Santa Claus, one can indulge in their festive in-flight menu that keeps changing two to four times a year, but offers a fun peek into some of the traditional delicacies of the country such as reindeer meatballs, amongst other regular dishes as well.
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