The Airport of the Year award is now in its 27th year. Airport of the Year has been elected every year since 1990.
“People in Vaasa can be proud of their airport which constitutes an important link for the business life and inhabitants to Helsinki, Stockholm and other international destinations,” says Finavia’s CEO Kari Savolainen.
“The airport has been systematically managed, and much progress has been made during the past year in particular. The operational culture and activities at the airport have gradually developed in the desired direction. Even the financial indicators of the airport have been a pleasure to watch, as profitability has improved. Vaasa Airport is a good example of how positive results can be achieved in many areas by managing and by influencing the organisational culture in a determined manner,” Savolainen explains.
In 2016, a total of 288,520 passengers used Vaasa Airport. Year on year, the growth was 2.2%. Further growth is still possible, for example as business life in the area develops. Vaasa Airport has more business travellers than on average in the airport network.
The passenger volumes of the airport are also expected to grow slightly this year. SAS, for example, increased the number of flights between Stockholm and Vaasa, starting from March.
“The airport is there for its customers, i.e. the passengers and airlines. We carry out regular customer satisfaction surveys and have noticed an increase in the amount of positive feedback. In other words, the work for improving service attitude is bearing fruit,” Savolainen says.
“We must also remember that there is an ongoing dialogue between the airport and its neighbours and other stakeholders. Finavia is an active enabler of transportation, tourism and other business life. That is why we have extensive cooperation with different cities, for example. We will continue to foster these close contacts with our partners In Vaasa,” Savolainen says.
Petri Lampi is the manager of Vaasa Airport at Finavia.
Last year, Oulu Airport was elected Airport of the Year.
