Departure
93%
vs 95% ▼ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Lappeenranta Airport (EFLP) is Finland's oldest continuously operating airfield, lying just southwest of Lappeenranta city centre in South Karelia, close to the shores of Lake Saimaa and within a short distance of the Russian border. Once a busy international gateway for charter and low-cost traffic, it retains a single long, ILS-equipped runway and now sees a mix of general aviation, training and occasional seasonal charter flights, making it an interesting and historically rich destination for the simulator pilot.
Lappeenranta Airport serves the city of Lappeenranta in South Karelia, close to Finland's border with Russia and near the shores of Lake Saimaa. It is the oldest airport in Finland still in operation, having opened in 1918, and today combines a quiet general aviation and training role with occasional seasonal charter flights. The presence of the Karelia Aviation Museum on the airfield, together with the field's long military and civil history, gives it particular appeal for a visiting VFR pilot interested in aviation heritage.
The airport lies about 2.5 kilometres southwest of Lappeenranta city centre and the central railway station, in the South Karelia region of southeastern Finland. It is situated near Lake Saimaa and is the closest airport to the town of Imatra, which lies some 37 kilometres away close to the Russian border; the Immola Airfield near Imatra also serves the area for military and hobbyist flying. The approach and departure path passes low over Lappeenranta's midtown area, which lies only around 1.5 kilometres from the eastern end of the runway.
Lappeenranta has a single physical runway, 06/24, of asphalt construction and roughly 8,167 feet (about 2,490 metres) in length. The surface is lit, and an instrument landing system serves runway 06, making the field usable for instrument approaches as well as VFR arrivals.
Lappeenranta Tower operates on 119.7 MHz, with an ATIS broadcast available on 112.5 MHz. An ILS is provided for runway 06, supporting instrument approaches into the field.
The most prominent visual feature for arriving pilots is Lappeenranta itself, whose midtown lies close to the eastern end of the runway, meaning aircraft on approach or departure from that direction pass low over the city. The airfield's proximity to Lake Saimaa provides a further distinctive landmark for pilots orientating themselves in the local area.
Lappeenranta Airport was founded in 1918, when the Air Force Department flew in from Antrea Airport and established Flight Department 1, making it the oldest airport in Finland still in operation. Between 1939 and 1944, during the Second World War, the airfield operated as a military air base. Civil passenger traffic began in 1951, and the airport's terminal building, still in use, was completed in 1960. The runway was extended to 2,500 metres in 1998. The airport later became an international gateway, with Air Baltic and Ryanair opening routes in 2009 and passenger numbers peaking at around 116,000 in 2010 or 2011, driven significantly by Russian tourism from nearby Saint Petersburg. This traffic collapsed after 2014 in the wake of the Euromaidan crisis, and Ryanair withdrew entirely in October 2015. Ownership passed from the state operator Finavia to a city-owned company, Lappeenrannan Lentoasema Oy, in 2016. Ryanair briefly resumed flights in March 2018. The Karelia Aviation Museum, run by a South-East Finland aviation heritage association, is located on the airfield.
There are currently no scheduled airline flights from Lappeenranta, though the airport continues to handle a small number of seasonal charter flights to European holiday destinations. The airport has faced mounting financial losses in recent years, compounded by a decline in general aviation and training flight activity, and its long-term future has been the subject of discussion by its city owner. Operations have also been affected by GNSS jamming in the border region, prompting a reinstatement of legacy radio navigation aids in Finland. The Karelia Aviation Museum, based at the airfield, adds historical interest for visiting pilots.
