A late-night NOTAM issued on 17 September (B1828/26) confirms that Seinäjoki Airport’s Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS) is closed from 00:00 on 18 September until at least 1 October. During the closure all operators—except season-pass holders, search-and-rescue, hospital flights and other authorised traffic—must file an online Prior Notice via the landing-fee payment form at SeinajokiAirport.fi. The regional airport, popular with corporate turboprops serving western Finland’s manufacturing belt, normally provides on-demand AFIS under a hybrid commercial-municipal model. According to airport management, a short-term staffing gap triggered by sick leave and annual vacations forced the temporary shutdown. Without an on-site information officer, the airfield is downgraded to uncontrolled status; pilots are responsible for self-separation and must coordinate slot times via e-mail. Business-aviation handlers warn that failure to submit notice can invalidate hull-insurance cover because the airport no longer meets the minimum published level of service. Operators should therefore attach the emailed AFIS confirmation to their flight briefing pack. For time-critical flights, Seinäjoki recommends diverting to Vaasa (EFVA) 60 km west, which continues 24-hour ATC service. The episode underlines the fragility of Finland’s smaller regional airports as they struggle to retain qualified AFIS personnel amid rising demand for drone-U-space managers. Traficom’s forthcoming remote-tower solution, due by 2030, is expected to provide staffing resilience, but until then corporate flyers should anticipate more ad-hoc closures at non-Finavia fields. Seinäjoki Airport says it aims to restore normal AFIS hours in early October, subject to recruitment. Updates will be published through the AIS NOTAM system.
Source: AIS Finland—IFR bulletin
