Lappeenranta Airport, the oldest and Easternmost in Finland, is to end passenger operations on December 31, after Ryanair reveled it is suspending its Bergamo route on October 30. The city invested €12m annually over the past decade, but must adhere to EU rules banning public aid for loss-making airports.
Passengers peak at 116,000 in 2011 with over half having travelled the 200km journey from St Petersburg. Traffic flows have been near zero post-2014 and never recovered as the border closed with the pandemic and the Ukraine conflict.
The runway is runway 2,500 metres, the length of the former min runway at Shannon, and the airport site has been repurposed for residential, shopping, or park generating €20m by 2030.
General aviation and government flights continue on a reduced basis. The Karelia Aviation Museum is now seeking new premises.
