Nalkki Airport
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Källälivi Nalkki Airport Källälivi Nalkin Lentoasema | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Valkea | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Källälivi Airports Authority | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Greater Källälivi area | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Nalkki, Valkea | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | March 7, 1928 | ||||||||||||||
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| Website | nalkkiairport.vk | ||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||
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Källälivi Nalkki Airport (IATA: KLN, ACAO: NVKN; Valkean: Källälivi Nalkin Lentoasema), also known as Nalkki Airport, is one of two international airports serving Källälivi and its surrounding metropolitan area. The airport is located in the town of Nalkki, 12 kilometers east of Källälivi city center. It currently serves as the main domestic hub for Valkea Airlines and its regional subsidiary, Valkea AirExpress, as well as the primary hub for Aurora Skyways.
Nalkki served as the main international airport of Källälivi until 1978. Despite most international traffic having shifted to Vuotola Airport, Nalkki remains as the country's largest domestic hub and the second busiest Valkean airport overall, handling 22.3 million passengers in 2023. The airport is operated by the Källälivi Airports Authority, which also operates Vuotola Airport.
History
Nalkki Airport was first constructed as a military airfield in 1928. It primarily served as a training area for Valkean Air Force pilots and as a supply storage area. In 1937, the Valkean government approved to repurpose the airfield into a civilian airport. A terminal and runway extension was completed in 1941, with Valkea Airlines beginning operations the following year.
The airport grew to become the main international airport of Källälivi, but by 1950 it was deemed inadequate for increasing passenger demand. The government of Löysimaa approved the planning and construction of a brand new terminal, parking spaces, air traffic control tower, and a second runway in 1954. The layout was designed by famed Valkean architect Sakarias Ilves, who envisioned the terminal building with a catenary roof suggesting the upward motion of flight, as well as a separate concourse building where passengers would board their flights. Terminal 1, as well as Concourse A, opened to the public in 1959. Ilves' terminal building became an instantly recognizable landmark.
In 1961, studies were conducted for further expansion of the site to include two more runways as well as three more terminal buildings. However, this would have required the destruction of a nearby wetland area containing a thriving local ecosystem. As such, local residents from the town of Nalkki as well as conservationist groups protested the airport's expansion. Plans for expanding Nalkki Airport were dropped, and the Valkean government instead looked for alternative sites to build a second international airport. A site was chosen in Kirppu, which eventually became Vuotola Airport.
In order to accommodate very-large wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 747, the airport's two runways were extended in 1968, while additional jetways were added to Concourse A in select gates. Construction of Concourse B commenced in 1970 but was beset with delays with the onset of the 1971 Astyrian Recession.