Helsinki-Malmi Airport
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Helsinki-Malmi Airport (Finnish: Helsinki-Malmin lentoasema) is an airport in the city of Helsinki, Finland, located in the district of Malmi, some 10 km north-east from the city centre. Until the opening of the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in 1952 it was the main airport of Helsinki and all Finland. Today, the airport is actively used in general aviation.
For a long time, the City of Helsinki has had plans to close the airport in order to use the area for construction of new residential zones. The closure of the airport, however, has been a very controversial issue, and its future remains unclear.
Helsinki-Malmi_Airport_Panorama.jpg
History
The first land airport of Helsinki, located in Tattarisuo in the township of Malmi, became operational in December 1936. The area is nowadays in the district of Malmi in Helsinki. The airplanes of Aero Ltd (the predecessor of Finnair) were converted from floatplanes to land-based aircraft without delay and moved to the new Airport along with general aviation aircraft. The official opening ceremony took place on 15 May 1938.
Helsinki-Malmi Airport was among the first in the world to be designed from the beginning as an international airport. It made travel to and from the capital of Finland much faster than before. In the late 1930's, domestic air routes already reached all the big cities in Finland, and in 1940 it became possible to fly even to Petsamo in the far north.
The Winter War interrupted civil aviation at Malmi, and the Airport was taken over by the Finnish Air Force. Civilian traffic was moved to other airfields. In the Continuation War both civilian and military traffic used Malmi Airport. When the Continuation War ended in September 1944, the Airport was taken over by the Allied Control Commission. It was returned back to the supervision of the Finns at the end of 1946.
During the war, bigger and heavier aircraft had been developed, and after the war the aircraft industry and commercial aviation business flourished. Malmi Airport was confronted by a new situation. It became evident that the runways, built originally on a deep layer of clay and swampy topsoil, would require considerable investment if they were to bear the weight of the new big airliners. Cost estimates showed that extending the runways, adding pilework under them and strengthening them in other ways would be too expensive. The plans were abandoned.
A new airfield of international standards was first opened to traffic in 1952 in Seutula. It is today known as Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Scheduled traffic gradually moved from Malmi to the new airport. Malmi Airport continued to serve a new category of commercial aviation, charter flights, for many years.
Present and Future
Nowadays Malmi Airport is in general aviation use. Professional flying education and professional aviation as well as private aviation and aviation clubs operate there. In 2002, 50% of all pilots in Finland and two out of three professional pilots got their education there. The Frontier Guard is an important user of the Airport. Malmi Airport also acts as a backup airfield for Helsinki-Vantaa in special circumstances.
Malmi Airport is also popular among people who like outdoor exercise because its environment offers natural scenery and a nature path encircles the airport area. The aviation shows and other public events taking place at the Airport draw tens of thousands of spectators every year. The exceptionally well preserved pre-WWII aviation milieu of Malmi Airport has also received international recognition. It has been selected to the worldwide List of 100 Most Endangered Cultural Sites 2004 by the World Monuments Fund as well as the Finnish selection of the international DoCoMoMo workgroup.
The future of Malmi Airport is endangered because the area is coveted by the City of Helsinki for housing construction. The City of Helsinki has requested the government to give up the area for residential purposes by the end of 2010. The Ministry of Traffic and Communications is in spring 2005 assessing the alternatives and costs of relocating the aviation activities.
The State of Finland, has a legally valid land cession agreement with the City of Helsinki until 2034. In January 2005, the Helsinki City Board decided to communicate to the State that the grounds for annulling the land cession agreement exist, and to ask the State to return the land area to the City's control by the end of 2010.
External links
- The Friends of Malmi Airport Society (http://www.pelastamalmi.org/en)de:Flughafen Helsinki-Malmi