Finavia airport
A new passenger terminal in Finnish Lapland
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, winter tourism in Lapland was growing intensely, and there were major challenges in managing passenger flows during high season. To increase capacity, Finavia, the owner of Kittilä Airport, decided to expand the airport's passenger terminal with a new section. Investments were made to expand the check-in, security, and passport control facilities, and the airport's operational functions, such as baggage handling, were also provided with additional space.
Three new departure gates were built. The passenger facilities area was increased by a fifth, and a passport control point, a new café-restaurant and a children's playground were added to serve passengers. The terminal building was expanded to accommodate a departing baggage system, and a new service building was built for the apron buses shuttling between the aircraft and the terminal.
The project was particularly fast paced, as the new terminal had to be ready for use for the next winter season already. Project management became the chosen contract form, and design work was carried out during the construction period, on a just-in-time basis. The spacious, modern terminal was commissioned on schedule, just 10 months after the start of design.
Project information
An especially fast design and construction process
The project's record-breaking schedule was met with a planning method, in which information about the plans needed at any given time was provided directly by the contractor. Construction started already in the sketching phase, and the design became more detailed at the same pace as the construction work. Implementing the process on such a tight schedule was made possible by the flexibility of the design team and by a simple basic solution that takes its cue from the architecture of the old terminal.
