One of the popular plane-spotting locations at Helsinki Airport will most likely be closed off to the public in the near future.
The Sammonmäki hill, located on the north side of Helsinki Airport, is set to be levelled to make way for a new highway, the Kehä IV ring road. The rocky hill will be levelled, quarried and the site will become the base for the new highway.
Sammonmäki has been a popular spot for plane-spotters to photograph planes taking off and landing on Helsinki Airport’s Runway 1.
The exact schedule for the levelling of the hill is unclear as of yet. Rock material supplier MH-Kivi has been granted a permit for extracting the land, as well as quarrying and crushing the rock material in the area, but the permit may still be appealed.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to say when exactly the levelling of the hill will start or when the area will be closed off to plane-spotters,” says MH-Kivi CEO Pekka Pamppunen. “We are, however, talking about the near future. The building of the new highway IV has already been decided in the zoning scheme of Tuusula city.”
The levelling of Sammonmäki hill is sad news for local plane-spotters, but other Helsinki Airport users should not experience disturbances because of the work, says Finavia’s Head of Apron Services, Sami Simola.
“During possible detonations on the hill, there cannot be planes taking off or landing on Runway 1, but all of the work will take place outside the airport fences,” he says.
The areas around Sammonmäki are owned by Finavia and the Tuusula county. Besides the new highway, there is a new business park is to be built in the area.
Check out the best plane viewing and spotting sites at Helsinki Airport.
