Finavia maintains and develops the Finnish airport network. At the Nordic level, it has the highest number of direct flights to Asia. Traffic to the airport is busy, especially during the winter season, as the airport has excellent connections to major holiday attractions and ski resorts in Lapland. During the winter, Kittilä receives visitors from countries such as Russia, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Canada.
Basic information
Annual passenger and landing statistics of the airport are published on Finavia's Traffic Statistics page.
The airport's runway is 2,500 metres long.
Throughout the year, Kittilä Airport employs 50 people. During the busy winter season there are up to 100 people working at the airport. The impact the airport has on employment in the surrounding municipalities is even greater.
History
1979: The airport is constructed on the site of a former forest air field used by Metsähallitus, a state enterprise, which manages the woodlands owned by the state.
1982: The first terminal building and air traffic control tower of the airport mostly used by the Finnish Defense Forces are completed.
1985: The 2,000 metre runway is extended with 500 metres.
1987: Regular traffic from Helsinki begins. In its first year, with three flights a week, it route reaches 4,000 passengers.
1990: The first expansion of the terminal building.
1993: The first charter flight to Kittilä arrives from the United Kingdom.
1994: The second terminal expansion is completed. After this, the terminal is expanded further in 1998, 2001 and 2005.
1997: Kittilä airport reaches the milestone of 100,000 yearly passengers.
2008: The busiest year at Kittilä airport. The annual number of passengers reaches 265,000. 38 percent of passengers arrived from abroad. The new terminal building is inaugurated.