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Rovaniemi Airport is Lapland's principal gateway and the second-busiest airport in Finland, lying some 10 kilometres north of Rovaniemi city centre with the Arctic Circle crossing close to the northern end of its single long runway. Operated by Finavia and shared with fighter squadrons of the Finnish Air Force, it offers a single hard-surfaced instrument runway with full ILS approach, making it a straightforward if busy destination for simulator pilots exploring the far north.
Rovaniemi Airport serves the city of Rovaniemi, the self-styled Arctic capital of Finland and home of the official Santa Claus tourist attractions. It is operated by Finavia and is notable as one of only three Finnish airports with jet bridges, alongside Helsinki-Vantaa and Oulu. For a simulator pilot it is an interesting far-northern destination combining a substantial single instrument runway, mixed civil and military use, and the novelty of the Arctic Circle running close to the runway itself.
The airport lies approximately 10 kilometres north of Rovaniemi city centre, in Finnish Lapland, with the Arctic Circle passing close to the northern end of the runway. It is an international airport handling scheduled and seasonal charter traffic, and shares its runway with F-18 fighters of the Lapin lennosto (Lapland Air Wing) and with the nearby Rovaniemen vartiolentue, the Finnish Border Guard Air Patrol Squadron.
The airport has a single physical runway, 03/21, 9793 feet long with a hard surface and lit. Runway 21 is equipped with an ILS approach.
Approach is on 125.8 MHz, ATIS on 117.7 MHz, Ground on 118.525 MHz, and Tower on 118.7 MHz. A PMSV (aerodrome meteorological) service is available on 125.1 MHz, with a METRO facility also listed. Runway 21 has an ILS approach for instrument arrivals.
The Arctic Circle crosses close to the northern end of the runway, a distinctive feature for a field at this latitude. Santa Claus Village and Santa Park, well-known local landmarks, lie within two to three kilometres of the airport and can assist with visual orientation on approach.
The airfield was built in 1940 with two grass-surfaced runways. During the Continuation War it served as an airbase and supply centre for the German Luftwaffe. In the post-war era it developed into a civil airport while retaining a military role, and it continues to be used by F-18 interceptors of the Lapland Air Wing alongside civil traffic.
Rovaniemi today is a busy international airport with jet bridge facilities, handling scheduled services to Helsinki and Tromso along with extensive seasonal charter traffic from the United Kingdom and continental Europe, particularly during the November-to-January Christmas season when Santa Flights are at their busiest. The airport shares its infrastructure with military units of the Finnish Air Force and Border Guard, reflecting its continued dual civil and defence role.
