Lappeenranta Airport has been underused for a long time. The airport's decline has begun in earnest in practice. faster train connections upon completion.
The airport is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult political issues in Lappeenranta. The airport is currently underutilized and is therefore constantly costing the city's residents hundreds of thousands of euros. Although the airport is currently quite quiet, it is possible that the situation will be different in the future. Even one additional international route would significantly improve the airport's financial situation. On the other hand, in the near future, electric aircraft will make domestic flights even more profitable, as electric aircraft are expected to be particularly cost-effective on short distances. The development of electric aircraft technology will likely increase the importance of airports in the future.
I think the airport has both good and bad sides for Lappeenranta. Although the airport is a potential source of vitality, on the other hand, I think it is detrimental to the city's structure and planning. The airport unfortunately divides the city centre and Sammonlahti areas. Combining these areas would be particularly important so that the university is better connected to the city centre. Without the airport, the Sammonlahti area and the area between the city centre could develop better into a unified urban area in the longer term. The large area of land freed up under the airport could be used for many projects. A new residential area could be planned in the area of the airport, new shopping centres could be established, the Lappeenranta Arena could be built or, for example, a giant park could be planted. It would certainly take years to fill the entire area, but little by little the area would certainly be filled.
In order to get rid of some of the disadvantages of the field, I think it would be worth investigating how moving the field could be practically successful and how much it would cost. Moving the field would certainly be a very expensive operation, but on the other hand, the land under the current field could be valuable enough to cover most of the costs.
In any case, it is obvious that the current trend cannot continue. The airport's operations must be planned instead of being constantly funded by emergency funds. Living from hand to mouth does not develop operations. It must be determined how the airport could be made profitable. For example, would it help if the airport's operating costs were reduced in order to attract more airlines to the airport? More low-cost airlines could be interested in the airport if prices could be kept particularly low. Can we somehow make Lappeenranta a more attractive destination for international tourists? Developing tourism is probably the sum of many different methods.
At this point, it is probably worth keeping all options open regarding the airport, as it is not easy to make a final decision on the fate of the airport with current information. However, now is a good time to boldly explore and try out different solutions in order to get closer to a vibrant and functional Lappeenranta Airport.
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