Finavia Invests €1.1M in Tampere Airport Lighting Upgrade

Finavia is investing approximately EUR 1.1 million in renovating the approach lighting system at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport this summer, in a project that will run from mid-May through the end of August 2026 without disrupting passenger operations.

The work focuses on replacing the approach lighting system at the eastern end of the runway — the lights that guide landing aircraft to the runway threshold. The system stretches 900 metres and comprises nearly 50 light masts ranging from 0.3 to 13.6 metres in height due to variations in terrain. All lights will be replaced with LED technology, delivering an energy saving of almost 80 percent compared to the existing system.

The project is being carried out in three phases and is expected to employ around 20 people from local companies. On the sustainability side, old lights and cables will be recycled, and some of the masts will be repurposed at other Finavia sites rather than scrapped.

Tampere-Pirkkala is one of four shared airports in Finavia's network, serving both civil and military aviation simultaneously. In 2025, the airport handled just over 140,000 passengers and nearly 19,400 flight movements across commercial, charter, military, cargo, and flight training operations.

The investment is part of Finavia's ongoing lifecycle management programme, which has continued steadily despite the financial pressures of the pandemic years and the closure of Russian airspace. The company returned to positive operating profit in 2025 for the first time since 2019, with recent investments also covering terminal expansions at Rovaniemi and major airfield renovations at Kuopio and Kuusamo airports.