Joonas Nurmi is a Finnish entrepreneur known for his work in aviation and premium travel, and as one of the co-creators of The Freyas – Nordic Film & TV Awards. He is the co-founder and chief commercial officer of Aerocom Aviation, a Finnish private aviation company known for its Helsinki Citycopter helicopter services and ACXJET business jet operations.
In August 2026, Joonas Nurmi was among the creators of the Freyas, Nordic Film & TV Awards, initiative launched in Helsinki.
Biography
Early career Before entering the aviation Joonas Nurmi worked in Finland’s entertainment sector as an actor. He appeared in such Finnish soap operas as Kaverille ei jätetä (1999), Salatut elämät (1999) and Toisen kanssa (2014).
Nurmi also worked professionally in music. In 1998 he performed as a vocalist on the song “Ei itketä lauantaina”. In 2005 he was credited as a composer, lyricist and performer on the track “Lintu”, released on CD under the Hassile label as a part of the project Jetro.
In 2010, Joonas Nurmi worked as a composer for a production of Tuhkimo, with musical arrangements by Tomi Enbuska.
Aviation career At the same period, Nurmi worked for approximately 15 years at Finnair, in cabin crew and ground organisation roles, before he was furloughed in the summer of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on commercial aviation.
In 2011, Nurmi and pilot Ari Kallinen founded their first company Aerocom Oy, focusing on accommodation and concierge services. The company, officially Aerocom Aviation Oy, grew into a full-service operator with its own flight school, hangar and charter bases in Helsinki and Tampere, and Nurmi has served as its co-founder and commercial director (chief commercial officer).
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nurmi and pilot Ari Kallinen created the helicopter charter operator Helsinki Citycopter, which began commercial flights from Helsinki. The company provides flights to remote Nordic destinations including Lapland, the Finnish archipelago and the Lofoten Islands.
Helsinki Citycopter expanded its fleet with the acquisition of two Airbus ACH130 helicopters, aiming to combine executive air transport with environmental initiatives. The company became the first helicopter operator in Northern Europe to adopt Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) across its operations.
In June 2021, Visit Finland, the country’s national tourism promotion organization, selected Nurmi as one of 8 “Finnish Hospitality Heroes”.
In early 2024, the company expanded from helicopter operations into business jets with the purchase of a Cessna Citation CJ4, operated under the ACXJET brand, making both helicopters and a business jet. The group's operations included the Helsinki Citycopter helicopter brand, ACXJET business jet services, ACX ACCESS travel services and the SL Flight Training pilot school. ACX ACCESS and Helsinki Citycopter featured in the official Golden Globes gift lounge, offering a private flight and luxury travel experience in Finland.
In 2025, Nurmi represented Aerocom Aviation in the "Turning investments into revenue" panel of the Helsinki Travel Seminar, organised by the City of Helsinki, discussing luxury tourism, customer expectations and destination development. Later in 2025, he spoke at the Kymenlaakso Chamber of Commerce's Suunta leadership seminar in Hamina, presenting the founding story of the helicopter business and lessons from its development.
In late 2025, Nurmi appeared in a CBS News television report by journalist Wendy Gillette on the continued growth of private aviation after the pandemic, which featured Aerocom Aviation's ACXJET operation and Nurmi discussing private travel in Europe.
In 2026, Nurmi co-founded The Freyas – Nordic Film & TV Awards, an annual traveling initiative designed to honor Nordic screen talent and bridge regional production with the global entertainment industry.
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