The busiest airport in eastern Finland, Kuopio Airport now provides passengers with increased smoothness and comfort.
Passenger services and comfort were improved already during spring 2014, when a new café-shop was opened in the gate area. After this, the terminal interior premises have been redecorated with fresh and modern design solutions.
- We want passengers to be comfortable and have the opportunity to get into the travelling mood already at the airport. The café-shop in the gate area was our first concrete renovation. We believe that the just completed new look will lift the service experience and comfort to an even higher level, says Raija Niskanen, Kuopio Airport Director at Finavia.
The renewal project has been designed and implemented by the Kuopio-based architecture, art and design studio Partanen & Lamusuo Oy.
- A magnificent lake scene filled with islands opens up around the airport. We wanted to continue this theme in the interior design of the terminal. At the design stage, we also needed to take into account that the airport premises are created for comfort but above all smooth travel,” says Jaana Partanen, artist for Partanen & Lamusuo Oy.
A delicate theme of a bed of reeds is repeated throughout the airport windows and service desks. Passengers can wait for their flight on quay benches or rock-like sofas and dead wood blocks serve as tables or stools.
Kuopio Airport is the busiest airport in eastern Finland. In 2014, it served over 260,000 passengers. Kuopio Airport has near to ten daily Finnair flights to Helsinki and good connections to holiday destinations.
Next investments focus on Lapland
Finavia has launched an extensive investment programme in its airport network for 2013–2015. The largest projects were launched in 2014 at the airports of Ivalo, Turku and Tampere. In addition to Kuopio, Vaasa, Kittilä and Oulu airports were also renovated.
In 2015, the focus will be on the development of airports in Lapland.
- It is Finavia's duty to ensure that the airports support the growth of air traffic in the best possible manner. However, an airport in itself is not enough to attract airlines to it. Therefore, we are investing in areas, where the growth outlook for tourism and business are good and which support the economic development of Finland. The growth in travel is expected to also increase air traffic volumes, says Joni Sundelin, Director of Airport Network, Sales and Marketing for Finavia.
In 2015, approximately EUR 25 million is going to be invested in network airports and the estimated employment effect of the investments is 350 person-years. The investment programme in its entirety will bring almost 1,700 person-years’ worth of work to the area surrounding the airports.
