Finavia mulls closing down Enontekiö Airport

The runway and terminal infrastructure at Enontekiö Airport is at the end of its lifecycle, while the Finnish airport operator Finavia has not been able so far to find an investment solution for the modernisation it needs.

Scheduled air traffic at Enontekiö Airport became problematic two years ago, said a Finavia press release. The end of supply and demand for flights has put the economy and operating conditions of the airport in a very difficult position.

Finavia is considering closing down Enontekiö Airport and is currently looking for alternative solutions concerning the accessibility of Enontekiö.

“Promoting good connections and tourism is at the heart of Finavia’s strategy, so the situation at Enontekiö Airport is very unfortunate. The coronavirus crisis has further weakened our ability to invest in Enontekiö Airport, and we have to consider closing down the airport. However, no decisions have yet been made,” said Finavia CEO Kimmo Mäki.

“We are doing our best to ensure Enontekiö’s connections, and we have already had discussions with the municipality of Enontekiö and other stakeholders. We have discussed a few options that could be used to ensure the accessibility of Enontekiö,” Mäki added.

He also emphasised that Finavia has wanted to raise the issue openly with the municipality of Enontekiö, among others, so that everyone is aware of the difficult situation at the earliest possible stage and solutions can be sought together.

According to Finavia, one option to ensure the continuity of the airport’s operations is to find a new owner and operator for the airport. Finavia is naturally ready to support the new owner in taking over the operations.