Passenger flow rises 10.6% in Jan-June

The number of passengers at Tampere Airport has grown 10.6 per cent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, said Finavia, the company that operates the country’s airports.

About 122,000 passengers travelled through Tampere Airport during the first half-year (1 January-30 June 2018), said an official press release.

Almost 64 per cent of them flew on international flights. The international traffic posted a 19 per cent rise in the period, while the number of passengers on the domestic flights suffered an 18 per cent dip from that in the corresponding period of last year.

“Tampere Airport is currently experiencing steady growth and increasing passenger numbers. Airlines have added departures and we even have new destinations coming up,” said Finavia Airport Director and Area Manager Mari Nurminen.

Nurminen is satisfied with the situation, as the airport is currently undergoing a major investment programme. Finavia is investing over 17 million euros in renewing the Tampere air traffic areas.

“Besides the MEUR 15 modernisation and development investment, we are also carrying out an additional MEUR 2 investment as we are renewing the runway instrument landing system (ILS) and developing the precision approach procedures. They improve the air traffic’s operational possibilities even in bad weather conditions. Our airport will be fit for many years to come,” Nurminen added.

Exceptional durability is expected of runways. An aircraft whizzes by on the runway at approximately 250 kilometres per hour, and the biggest planes weigh ten times more than a fully-loaded articulated lorry. The runway is subject to enormous single point stress as the aircraft’s tyres hit the runaway repeatedly.

There are a lot of power and communications cables under the 2,700-metre-long Tampere Airport runway. More than 10 kilometres of cable work is accumulated during the construction. 60,000 tonnes of asphalt is used for the surfacing, which would surface a motorway with several lanes both ways for 20 kilometres.

During the construction, an asphalt plant will work at the site and more than 100 workers will join the construction. The modernisation is carried out as ecologically as possible. For example, the old structures of the runway, blast stones and crushed stones are utilised elsewhere at the airport area. This avoids unnecessary lorry traffic.

Besides the passenger numbers, the number of operations also keeps growing. By the end of June, there were 25 per cent more take-offs and landings than during the same time period last year.