newstodate.aero
Apr 12, 2011 (newstodate): Plans for developing Finland's Vaasa Airport into a new cargo hub are still alive - but the process is still not endorsed by the parliament and thus not secured of its financing.
-Plans are that a new cargo apron area and two multi-functional cargo terminals will be in place by 2012, and to meet that target we need to start construction works by November 2010. This hinges on whether or not the project is included in the budget to be finally approved any time now, Riitta Bjorkenheim, Vaasa Region Development Company ltd Development Manager, flight logistics, told newstodate in August 2010.
Since then much work has been invested in securing industrial support through commitments to lease space in the planned terminal, and this has met with success; nearly 60 percent of the space has now been contracted.
But in the minds of Finnish politicians, rail and ports dominate the scene, leaving airport infrastructure at an insecure 2nd place.
Finland is now preparing for elections next week, and it will probably last another six months after that before the issue of state financing through budgets may again come on the agenda.
The application from Vaasa Airport was transmitted in June 2009, and the project has also been approved by EU for state financing.
Finland's Vaasa region is the largest energy cluster in the Nordic region, with companies including Wacon, ABB, and VEO relying heavily on access to ports, railways - and air cargo facilities.
-Plans are that a new cargo apron area and two multi-functional cargo terminals will be in place by 2012, and to meet that target we need to start construction works by November 2010. This hinges on whether or not the project is included in the budget to be finally approved any time now, Riitta Bjorkenheim, Vaasa Region Development Company ltd Development Manager, flight logistics, told newstodate in August 2010.
Since then much work has been invested in securing industrial support through commitments to lease space in the planned terminal, and this has met with success; nearly 60 percent of the space has now been contracted.
But in the minds of Finnish politicians, rail and ports dominate the scene, leaving airport infrastructure at an insecure 2nd place.
Finland is now preparing for elections next week, and it will probably last another six months after that before the issue of state financing through budgets may again come on the agenda.
The application from Vaasa Airport was transmitted in June 2009, and the project has also been approved by EU for state financing.
Finland's Vaasa region is the largest energy cluster in the Nordic region, with companies including Wacon, ABB, and VEO relying heavily on access to ports, railways - and air cargo facilities.