Airport company Finavia has completed its extensive runway and taxiway renovation at Kuopio Airport
The renovation, which cost almost €20m, will enable the continuation of smooth and safe air traffic at Kuopio Airport, the operator said.
Finavia has extensively renovated the airport area for three summers in a row. During the summer 2024 renovation, the asphalting of the runway was redone, the taxiways were widened and resurfaced and the airport lighting system was modernised.
“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,” said 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.
Environmental impact
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. The condition of the body of water was monitored throughout the project by flying drones, among other things. With the help of a drone, 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, Finavia explained.
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 12.5km of new routes were dug for the cables of the lighting systems, to implement the modern solutions throughout the airport area.In this latest phase of the renovation, the stormwater sewer network at Kuopio Airport 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,” said Nurminen.
Due to the renovation, flights to Kuopio Airport were paused from June 24 to August 6, 2024. The airport opened to aviators on August 6 and scheduled flights resumed according to the normal schedule on August 7, 2024. Further work will now be carried out in the airport area as part of the third phase of the project. This will have no impact on air traffic.
