Finavia completes renovations at Kuopio Airport

Credit: Finavia

Finavia, the airport operator in Finland, has completed a new runway and taxiway renovation of Kuopio Airport. The cost of the renovation is near EUR 20 million in total, enabling the continuation of smooth and safe air traffic at Kuopio Airport.

Finavia has undertaken these renovations for three consecutive summers. During the summer 2024 renovation, the runway asphalting was redone, the taxiways were widened and resurfaced and they modernised the airport lighting.

“Over the past three years, Finavia has made significant investments in the development of Kuopio Airport’s air traffic areas. Thanks to the good planning work, the project was completed within the original budget and schedule,” says Mari Nurminen, Finavia’s Vice President responsible for Central and Eastern Finland airports. 

The summer 2024 renovation project at Kuopio Airport employed about 80 people in the local area, and several local companies were involved in its implementation. Finavia’s environmental, electrical and earthworks experts were involved in the planning of the project. In addition, planning work was carried out in close cooperation with the companies and authorities operating at Kuopio Airport. 

Finavia’s environmental goals guide the planning and implementation 

Kuopio Airport is surrounded by water, which is why the approach lighting line used by aircraft is built in water. As part of the summer 2024 renovation, both the approach lighting line and the associated support structures were replaced according to a detailed plan. The condition of the body of water was monitored throughout the project by flying drones, among other things. With the help of a drone flying high up in the air, it has been possible to monitor that the currents do not move the soil in the renovation area in the lake away from the areas limited by filter nets. 

The lighting system and electric power system of the entire airport area were also replaced as part of the renovation. The light fixtures of the runway and taxiways were replaced with energy-efficient LED technology, which contributes to Finavia’s sustainability goals. During the entire three-year renovation project, up to 12.5 kilometres of new routes were dug for the cables of the lighting systems in order to implement the modern solutions throughout the airport area.  

To ensure the safety of operations, airports must deice aircraft in winter and prevent the runway from becoming slippery. Water management is an important part of Finavia’s environmental work, and it ensures that airport operations do not burden the surrounding nature. During the summer of 2024, the stormwater sewer network was also renovated to improve the efficiency of stormwater management in the airport area and reduce the environmental impacts of airport operations.  

“We understand that as the owner of the airport, Finavia plays an important role in providing energy-efficient solutions for companies operating at the airport. In addition, our goal is to build infrastructure that enables those operating at the airport to develop sustainable operations,” Nurminen says. 

All Finavia airports have been carbon neutral since 2019. Lapland airports were the first to achieve net zero carbon emissions in their own operations in 2023. As our climate programme progresses, all Finavia airports will reach net zero by the end of 2025. Finavia is at the forefront of the airport industry in making its operations zero-emission and enabling sustainable operations for the users of its airports. Finavia’s goal for the future is to achieve carbon-negative operations at all of its airports. 

Due to the renovation, flights to Kuopio Airport were paused from 24 June to 6 August 2024. The renovation was timed in such a way that the impact on air travel would be as minor as possible. The airport will open to aviators on 6 August and scheduled flights will resume according to the normal schedule on 7 August 2024. 

After the pause has ended, finishing work will be carried out in the airport area as part of the third phase of the project. This will have no impact on air traffic.