The aviation history of Turku began in 1925 when a seaplane port was opened in Ruissalo in the Turku archipelago. In 1935, Finland's first civil airport on land was opened in Artukainen. The current airport was completed in 1955 and continues Turku’s role in the aviation history of Finland.
Juha Aaltonen, who has held the position of Airport Manager at Turku Airport since 2010, fondly looks back on his career at Finavia and his years at Turku Airport.
"My years at Turku Airport have been full of great moments, and it is a great pleasure to celebrate this anniversary together with passengers and the entire airport staff. The personnel at Turku Airport do important work every day for air traffic and smooth travel. The airport also has a good team spirit, and many Finavia employees have had long careers here," says Juha Aaltonen, Airport Manager.
From Ruissalo to Artukainen
The seaplane port in Ruissalo was opened in 1925 by the seashore, on the island surrounded by magnificent wooden villas. The seaplane port served seaplanes until 1935. There were flights from Ruissalo to Mariehamn and Stockholm. The connections were important for passengers, but also for mail and other cargo. The passengers of the seaplane port were served by a charming villa near the seashore, which served as a station building. Although there were – and still are – plenty of water areas suitable for seaplanes in Finland, it was evident that aviation was shifting towards land-based operations, in line with the example of Sweden.
Photo: Finnish Aviation Museum
The City Council of Turku paid attention to the development of air traffic already during the years of operation of the seaplane port in Ruissalo. It was decided that an airport on land would be built in the Turku region. The airport was initially planned as an extension of the seaplane port in Ruissalo on the coast. At the same time, aircraft rapidly evolved from seaplanes to heavier aircraft, so Ruissalo’s soft base would not have been suitable for the purpose. The Artukainen Manor area was chosen as the location of the new airport on land. A supervisor's functionalist-style residential building provided by the Manor functioned as the station building. Outdoor areas were created in the field in front of the Manor, which was converted into a runway area. The airport had a total of eight runways, four of which were paved with vibrated concrete and four with gravel. Artukainen Airport was inaugurated in September 1935. It was Finland’s first and only civil aviation airport on land until 1955.
Rusko's turn
On Sunday, 24 April 1955, all regular air traffic was transferred from Artukainen to the new airport in Turku by the Turku-Rusko road. Rusko Airport responded excellently to the rapid growth of aviation by providing modern conditions for growing passenger and freight volumes. The new airport was inaugurated with celebrations on 8 September 1955.
General aviation flourished in the 1960s, which was also evident at Turku Airport. The operations were particularly boosted by two flight schools operating at the airport. Jet engines arrived to Turku as early as 1959 when SAS’s Caravelle aircraft made several landings at the airport during its training flight. The first scheduled flight from Turku to Copenhagen was operated by SAS on 1 April 1964. Regular jet traffic began in 1966 on the Helsinki-Turku-Copenhagen route.
Photo: Finnish Aviation Museum
Turku Airport has been developed over the years to meet the changing needs of air traffic. The airport's runway was extended in 1979 and opened in 1980 when the runway length increased from 2,000 metres to 2,500 metres. This created the conditions for the operation of all aircraft at Turku Airport. The runway extension also made it possible to use Turku as an alternate airport for Helsinki Airport.
In addition, the passenger terminal has been expanded three times. In the 1990s, a cargo terminal was built at the airport. It became an important export gateway to the world. As cargo operations picked up even more, another cargo terminal was completed in 2003. Today, Turku Airport is one of the busiest airports in Finland in terms of both passenger and cargo traffic.
Varied connections and customer-oriented service
Turku Airport is located right next to the city, so it is only a short distance from services. There are both direct scheduled flights from the airport to major cities in Europe and holiday flights to the warmth of the south. In addition, flights from Turku to Helsinki open up to passengers Helsinki Airport's wide range of routes to destinations around the world.
“Turku Airport brings the world closer to the people of Turku and the whole of Southwest Finland. Turku has good connections to many European cities, and it is important that the region’s residents and businesses make use of the existing flight connections”, says Aaltonen.
Turku Airport has received recognition for its excellent operations and service, and Finavia has selected it as the Airport of the Year three times: in 2003, 2011 and 2018. Such recognition is evidence of the airport’s long-term work and ability to meet the requirements of the aviation industry at a high level.
Photo: Finnish Aviation Museum
The aviation industry and its operating environment are constantly changing, which requires airports to be able to renew themselves and respond to new challenges. The success of Turku Airport is based on competent and committed personnel, who Aaltonen warmly praises.
"The personnel at Turku Airport are highly competent and have a genuine desire to continue to develop the airport’s operations. I would like to thank my own personnel and other operators at the airport for their excellent and determined cooperation with Turku Airport now and in the future," says Aaltonen while being interviewed for the anniversary year.
Read more about the history of Finavia and its airports here.
Find out more about Turku's flight connections on the airport's website.
Main photo: Finnish Aviation Museum
Updated on September 10: corrected incorrect year related to runway extension.
