“The new system will improve the flow and safety of air traffic in challenging weather conditions and strengthen the operational reliability of this airport. This will benefit our hub traffic, the alternate airport service and flight training,” says Mari Nurminen, Vice President, Central Finland Airports at Finavia and Director, Tampere Airport.
Nurminen explains that the new flight procedures will assist pilots in landing on the runway in foggy conditions and when it is snowing, for example. Theyprovide more extensive opportunities than before to perform instrument approaches independent of the ground equipment from both directions of the runway and to reduce the number of approaches under tailwind conditions.
The introduction of new approach systems is part of Finavia’s investment in excess of MEUR 15, implemented at Tampere Airport in 2018.
“In addition to resurfacing the runway and constructing aircraft turn pads, we are modernising other parts of the infrastructure, including the runway approach light system, which will facilitate full exploitation of the new flight procedures,” Nurminen says.
The runway approach lights use energy-efficient LED technology, which reduces energy consumption. The electric energy used by the airport is generated from renewable wind energy and considerably lowers greenhouse gas emissions from airport operations.
According to Nurminen, in future, satellite-based systems will be used most and traditional procedures utilising ground equipment will only play a minor part. Similar flight procedures are planned to be introduced on other Finavia airports by the end of next year.
All in all, Finavia has invested more than MEUR 20 in developing Tampere Airport in the past few years. In addition to the renovation of the runway and transport areas, customer facilities and services in terminals have been improved and investments made in reducing environmental impacts. Improvements of infrastructure have ensured, for example, that Tampere Airport can serve as an alternate airport for wide-body aircraft.
The number of flights has grown at Tampere Airport by +15.3 per cent in January-August compared to the same time in the previous year. Including training flights, the number of takeoffs and landings totalled 25,262.
The airport’s total passenger volume has increased by +7.5 per cent from 1 January to 31 August. Of the approximately 150,000 passengers in that period, 2/3 took an international flight and 1/3 a domestic one.
