“Finavia has invested nearly EUR 15 million in Jyväskylä Airport over the past few years. Air traffic services have been developed by, for example, building a new maintenance hangar and modernising the maintenance equipment, which is powered by renewable fuel. The runway and apron renovation project we have just completed ensures smooth air traffic far into the future,” says Mari Nurminen, Vice President, Central and Eastern Finland Airports at Finavia.
According to Nurminen, the size of Finavia’s latest renovation investment at Jyväskylä Airport was EUR 11 million. The work done during the project included asphalting some 300,000 square metres of runway and the apron used for taxiing and parking aircraft. Finavia also upgraded the airport’s electricity network and Instrument Landing System (ILS).
In accordance with Finavia’s climate programme, the airport lighting system was replaced using energy-efficient LED technology. Some 250 runway lights were replaced and 25,000 metres of new power cables were installed during the project. At its peak, the runway renovation employed a hundred people per week.
“It is important for us to reduce the emissions generated by airport operations. All of Finavia’s airports achieved carbon neutrality over a year ago. Our goal for the future is zero emissions. It is clear that Finavia’s decision-making puts a priority on sustainable technology choices and environmentally friendly solutions related to airport construction, maintenance and repairs,” Nurminen explains.
Thanks to the swift progress of the project, Finavia was able to make part of the runway operational in early August, when the renovation was in its final stages. This made it possible for the Finnish Defence Forces to continue operations at the airport before the renovation was completed, for example. The renovated runway was fully commissioned on 29 August 2020.
Read more about the development at Finavia´s airports.
