The renovation in summer 2026 is a continuation of Finavia’s investments and life cycle management, which has been carried out systematically despite the challenging economic situation that began in 2020. The maintenance of the airport’s critical infrastructure is ongoing and the costs are high due to the nature of the operating environment, EU regulations and legal requirements.
”The renovation of the approach lighting system is an important part of the development and maintenance of the airport’s critical infrastructure. With good project planning, we can carry out the work so that air traffic to Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is not interrupted,” says Mari Nurminen, Manager of Tampere-Pirkkala Airport, Finavia
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is one of Finavia’s four so-called shared airports, which serve both military and civil aviation at the same time. In 2025, a total of just over 140,000 passengers travelled via Tampere-Pirkkala Airport. The total number of departing and arriving flights was 19,355. In addition to commercial scheduled and chartered traffic, military aviation, cargo flights and flight training operate at the airport.
The renovation consists of three phases
Overall, the project of summer 2026 will be carried out in three phases. The work at the airport will begin in mid-May and will last for 3.5 months. The plan is for the work to be completed by the end of August 2026.
During the project, the approach lighting system at the eastern end of the runway, which indicates the location of the runway to the landing aircraft, will be replaced as part of the lifecycle management and maintenance of the critical infrastructure. The overall length of the approach lighting system is 900 metres. The line consists of nearly 50 light masts, which are 0,3–13,6 metres high due to the differences in terrain height. The lights installed at the end of the new masts are LED technology, which will save almost 80 per cent more energy than the old lights.
The project’s impacts on the environment and people have been taken into account in the planning of the project. The old lights and cables will be recycled, and some of the masts can be reused in Finavia’s other sites for a new purpose. Finavia’s experts have led the project’s planning phase, and during the construction site phase, Finavia’s personnel will participate in shortening the runway. Due to the airport’s large scale, projects carried out at airports often require external service providers, and Finavia also employs external companies and their employees for this project. The project is estimated to employ approximately twenty people from local companies.
Finavia’s investments in recent years
In 2025, Finavia's operating profit was positive for the first time since 2019. The result for the financial year 2025 was EUR 7.7 million (-4.4) The operating profit for January–March 2026 was EUR 13.6 million, which is 2.6 per cent higher compared to the same period last year.
Finavia has continued to invest in regional airports despite the changed operating environment and financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of Russian airspace. In 2025, Finavia invested a total of EUR 5.5 million in the expansion of the terminal and air traffic areas at Rovaniemi Airport. In addition, in 2024, Finavia carried out an exceptionally extensive renovation of the air traffic areas at Kuopio Airport, which cost EUR 20 million in total. In 2023, Finavia invested EUR 2.5 million in the renovation of the apron, taxiway and runway lighting system at Kuusamo Airport.
FINAVIA CORPORATION
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Learn more about Finavia’s investments in regional airports
Learn more about the Tampere-Pirkkala Airport development programme in 2018
