Kuopio Airport (IATA: KUO, ICAO: EFKU) is an airport in Rissala, Siilinjärvi, Finland, about 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of Kuopio city centre. It is the fifth busiest airport in Finland, as measured by the number of passengers, approximately 235,000 in 2017.[4]
Kuopio Airport Kuopion lentoasema | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | Finavia | ||||||||||
| Serves | Kuopio, Finland | ||||||||||
| Location | Rissala, Siilinjärvi, Finland | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 323 ft / 98 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 63°00′31″N 027°47′40″E / 63.00861°N 27.79444°E | ||||||||||
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  KUO Location within Finland | |||||||||||
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History
editKuopio Airport was completed in November 1939 and flight operations started in May 1940. It was used by the Luftwaffe during World War II (1942–43). During the Continuation War the runways were made from plywood. The first terminal building was opened in 1949 before a new one replaced it in 1971. In 2004, Kuopio Airport was chosen as the Airport of the Year in Finland.[5] As of 2006[update], Kuopio Airport was one of only five profitable airports in Finland,[6] thanks to shared use of the runways by the Karelian Air Command of the Finnish Air Force and civilian airlines. Kuopio had its first international scheduled route when AirBaltic operated direct flights to Riga in 2008–2011.
Lake terminal
edit-
Lake terminal -
Lake terminal interior -
Lake Saimaa highlighted
A unique airport “Lake” terminal was completed in March 2008 (at 63°00′35″N 27°47′1″E / 63.00972°N 27.78361°E). The terminal is situated 250 metres (820 ft) walking distance from the main airport terminal. It connects the airport to the Lake Saimaa region.
Lake Saimaa offers a waterway connection to the cities of the Finnish Lakeland: Imatra, Joensuu, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Mikkeli, Savonlinna and Varkaus. Vuoksi River flows from Saimaa to Lake Ladoga (Russia). Saimaa Canal connects Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland.
There is no scheduled daily boat line here, but tour operators can use the terminal.
Airlines and destinations
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| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | Seasonal charter: Rhodes[7] |
| Avion Express | Seasonal charter: Chania[8] |
| Finnair | Helsinki[9] |
| Freebird Airlines | Seasonal charter: Antalya[10] |
| Pegasus Airlines | Seasonal charter: Antalya[11] |
| Sunclass Airlines | Seasonal charter: Gran Canaria[12] |
Statistics
editGraphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Year | Domestic passengers | International passengers | Total passengers | Change |
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| 2005 | 274,954 | 32,785 | 307,739 | 6.5% 
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| 2006 | 289,231 | 42,971 | 332,202 | 7.9%
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| 2007 | 270,430 | 33,774 | 304,204 | −8.4% 
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| 2008 | 252,616 | 37,601 | 290,247 | −4.6%
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| 2009 | 220,018 | 30,546 | 250,564 | −13.7%
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| 2010 | 207,067 | 46,545 | 253,612 | 1.2%
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| 2011 | 244,472 | 39,933 | 284,405 | 12.1%
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| 2014 | 221,722 | 38,642 | 260,364 | -0.3%
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| 2015 | 202,041 | 30,226 | 232,267 | -10.8%
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| 2016 | 200,569 | 26,625 | 227,194 | -2.2%
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| 2017[1] | 207,276 | 28,135 | 235,411 | 3.6%
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Finnish Air Force
editKuopio Airport is also home of the Finnish Air Force's Karelian Air Command and the Fighter Squadron 31 (HävLLv 31).
Accidents and incidents
edit- On 3 October 1978, Douglas C-47A DO-10 of the Finnish Air Force crashed into Lake Juurusvesi when attempting to return to Kuopio Airport. The aircraft was on a military flight to Helsinki Airport when an engine failed shortly after take-off and the decision was made to return to Kuopio. 15 people lost their lives in the crash.[14]
Ground transportation
editMeans of transport at Kuopio Airport
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| Means of transport | Operator | Route | Destinations | Website | Notes | ||
 Bus |
Kuopio Public Transport | 40 | Market Square (Finnish: Kauppatori) | joukkoliikenne.kuopio.fi Archived 17 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine | Every hour on weekdays | ||
 Taxi |
Savon Taksidata | Airport Taxi | Kuopio | www.savontaksidata.fi Archived 19 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine | According to flight schedules | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Passengers 2017" (PDF). Finavia.
- ^ "Air Transport Landings 2017" (PDF). Finavia.
- ^ "EFKU Kuopio" (PDF). AIP Suomi / Finland. Finavia. 30 June 2011. pp. EFKU AD 2.1, 1–14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Finavia's Air Traffic Statistics 2010" (PDF). Vantaa: Finavia. pp. 7, 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "Lentoasemista vain neljännes kannattavia". YLE Uutiset (in Finnish). Yleisradio Oy. 23 September 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
- ^ "tui.fi".
- ^ "Detur.fi".
- ^ "JAL Expands Finnair Codeshare From late-Oct 2023". Aeroroutes.
- ^ "tui.fi".
- ^ "Detur.fi".
- ^ "Flights". tjareborg.fi.
- ^ "Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-1-DK DO-10 Kuopio Airport (KUO)". Aviation Safety Network. 16 February 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
External links
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Media related to Kuopio Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Kuopio Airport – Official website
- AIP Finland – Kuopio Airport
- Current weather for EFKU at NOAA/NWS
- Airport information for KUO at Great Circle Mapper.
- Accident history for KUO at Aviation Safety Network
