Dissertation: Curbing rapid growth in air travel requires shifting the focus from individual choices to everyday practices

Air travel is in a paradoxical situation: it is growing at a record pace in Europe at the same time as emissions should be rapidly reduced. In her doctoral dissertation in Corporate Environmental Management at the Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics, M.Sc. (Econ.) Minna Käyrä examines how demand for air travel is formulated in Finnish society and what kinds of changes are needed to build a more sustainable future.

What did you study?

In my research, I examine the continued growth of air travel and, in particular, how demand for flying is formulated in Finnish society. The material consists of interviews conducted in 2023–2024 with people living in Finland, societal change reports, and academic literature.

What were the results of your research? What is the main finding?

The results show that air travel is deeply embedded in people’s lives in Finland, for example through working life and transnational family relations. Flying should therefore not be seen as an autonomous activity, but rather as a connecting practice that enables the continuation of routines across geographical locations. The underlying economic system shapes everyday practices and consumption by making flying a normal, easily accessible, and often expected part of life. A key finding is that everyday life and societal structures are tightly intertwined, and flying forms part of this broader whole.

How can the results be applied? What new knowledge does this research provide?

The study highlights that advancing sustainability in air transport requires shifting attention to the formation of demand—why and for what purposes people travel. The analysis helps unpack the dynamics underlying the growth of air travel and points to the potential of influencing this development by reshaping demand rather than expanding supply. For example, the findings show that reducing business travel requires changes in workplace practices and the supporting infrastructure, not just in individual choices or technological solutions.

M.Sc. (Econ.) Minna Käyrä’s doctoral dissertation in Corporate Environmental Management “Flying on a Finite Planet: Understanding Continuous Growth of Air Travel” will be publicly examined on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 12:00 noon in Hall C4 at the Seminaarinmäki campus of the University of Jyväskylä. The defence can also be followed online in Zoom. The opponent will be Associate Professor Jarkko Levänen (LUT University), and the custos will be University Lecturer Stefan Baumeister (University of Jyväskylä).

The language of the defence is English.