Pori airport closure disrupts Pori Jazz artist travel plans

Pori airport has suspended flight operations due to runway renovations, forcing some Pori Jazz artists to reroute through Turku and Tampere, festival CEO Sampsa Jolma told Yle.

Work began in early July and will finish in early August. The project expands runway safety areas and replaces lighting cables, stormwater drains, and sewers along the 2,350-meter main runway.

“The summer work ensures the safety areas near the runways meet future regulations,” said Pori airport chief Niko Syrjä in a Finavia release. The timing avoids disrupting state-purchased scheduled flights, which are on summer break.

The Pori–Helsinki route, normally ten weekly flights operated by Budapest Aircraft Service under a state contract through March 2027, resumes 7 August. During the closure, Finnish Aviation Academy training flights relocate to Pirkkala airport.