Sodankylä wants its share of Lapland Winter Tourism – plans to establish an airport
Sodankylä wants to turn its aerodrome into an airport and thus open the municipality for tourist flight traffic.
The municipality of Sodankylä wants to find out if the airport in the municipality could be made in the future. Airport means airports that have air navigation services such as air traffic control and are approved by EU regulations.
Rantapelkonen sees Sodankylä Field as an opportunity to develop tourism in Lapland now that Rovaniemi and Kittilä airports are starting to fill.
However, since the Sodankylä runway is only 1.5 kilometers long, it cannot be landed on a large passenger plane.
– In the future, we need to consider whether we need and have the opportunity to extend the airport, says Rantapelkonen.
He believes that in any case, there is a need for a smaller field in the future as electric aircraft starts operating.
1.3 million price tag
The total cost of the project is EUR 1.33 million, of which the municipal self -financing contribution would be a quarter and the rest would be covered by government grant.
The design accounts for approximately EUR 200,000 in the cost of the project. The rest is the procurement and investment needed to start an airport. The largest of these is about half a million euros in the publishing airplane hall. Other purchases are related to equipment, refueling and runway infrastructure.
According to the municipal calculations, the share of the state aid would be EUR 997,500, which is virtually impossible, as this grant is granted a total of EUR 900,000 to all projects and Traficom, according to Traficom.
The plan is also ambitious. According to Traficom, converting an aerodrome into an airport and running operations is such a difficult process that it has not previously taken any other aircraft.
Mayor believes in the project
However, Rantapelkonen believes that investing at the airport is profitable for the promotion of municipal vitality.
The municipality has estimated that the airport would generate € 300,000 per year. The return is expected to start about EUR 200,000 a year, but after the first three years we should reach the plus side.
The municipality intends to find an operator at the airport to handle air traffic.
After a strict vote on Monday, the municipal government decided to approve a project to apply for an airport planning project from Traficom Transport and Communications Agency. The sounds were 4-3. The center and the left opposed the performance.
The aerodrome currently has a lot of operations from car testing to exploring the Northern Lights and the climate. The runway is also used by rescue helicopter Aslak and aviation enthusiasts.