newstodate.aero
Feb 09, 2016 (newstodate): Finland's state-owned airport management company Finavia has spun off the country's oldest airport - Lappeenranta Airport.
Lappeenranta, and another Finnish airport Varkaus, left Finavia's network by the turn of the year, leaving Finavia with a network comprising 22 airports as of January 1, 2016.
Lappeenranta Airport is now owned by the Province of South Karelia and the City of Lappeenranta, while Varkaus airport will be shut down due to lack of air traffic connections.
Lappeenranta Airport is now hoping for a new future with new ownership.
-We are ready to meet challenges and to grasp opportunities for fresh development, says Petteri Lehti, Lappenreenta Airport manager, managing the airport also under its former Finavia ownership.
-The airport has only charter traffic by now but was earlier served by airlines including airBaltic, Ryanair, Blue1 and Finnair and we hope of course to attract the attention from some of these or other airlines again.
-One major asset of ours is the proximity to St Petersburg, in Russia, that brings some eight million potential passengers within our catchment area. Earlier, some 80 percent of our passengers were actually from Russia, and even if the Russian economy is depressed these days the potential remains, says Mr Lehti.
Lappeenranta Airport, originally built on an old cavalry training field, has one 2,500 m runway and passenger facilities accommodating the handling of up to 500,000 passengers annually.
Lappeenranta, and another Finnish airport Varkaus, left Finavia's network by the turn of the year, leaving Finavia with a network comprising 22 airports as of January 1, 2016.
Lappeenranta Airport is now owned by the Province of South Karelia and the City of Lappeenranta, while Varkaus airport will be shut down due to lack of air traffic connections.
Lappeenranta Airport is now hoping for a new future with new ownership.
-We are ready to meet challenges and to grasp opportunities for fresh development, says Petteri Lehti, Lappenreenta Airport manager, managing the airport also under its former Finavia ownership.
-The airport has only charter traffic by now but was earlier served by airlines including airBaltic, Ryanair, Blue1 and Finnair and we hope of course to attract the attention from some of these or other airlines again.
-One major asset of ours is the proximity to St Petersburg, in Russia, that brings some eight million potential passengers within our catchment area. Earlier, some 80 percent of our passengers were actually from Russia, and even if the Russian economy is depressed these days the potential remains, says Mr Lehti.
Lappeenranta Airport, originally built on an old cavalry training field, has one 2,500 m runway and passenger facilities accommodating the handling of up to 500,000 passengers annually.