Fintraffic AIS has issued a NOTAM closing the heliport at Keski-Suomen Keskussairaala Nova (ICAO: EFJV) from 13:00 on 24 September until 03:00 on 25 September. The fourteener-hour shutdown—needed for crane operations tied to a new intensive-care wing—means that all helicopter traffic, including air-ambulance, offshore crew-change and corporate charter flights, must divert to either Tikkakoski Airport (EFJY) 20 km away or temporary landing zones cleared by the rescue service. For businesses, the timing is awkward. Central Finland has become a hub for clean-tech firms whose executives often rely on point-to-point helicopter hops from Helsinki or Tampere. Operators report that short-notice slot requests at EFJY have tripled, and ground-transfer providers are adding vans to cover the final leg to downtown Jyväskylä. Medevac planners have activated contingency protocols with land ambulances on standby, potentially lengthening response times by 15–20 minutes. The closure also spotlights a bigger issue: Finland’s hospital-heliport network is ageing just as demand for rotor-lift mobility rises. Several other facilities—including Helsinki University Hospital’s Meilahti helipad—face temporary procedure outages due to required RNP recalibrations. Industry groups are lobbying for a national upgrade fund, arguing that predictable landing infrastructure is vital both for patient outcomes and for attracting foreign investors who expect rapid access to regional plants. Operators should verify NOTAMs daily; the current notice expires at 03:00 but crane work is weather-dependent and could overrun. If your organisation uses ad-hoc helicopter charters for site visits or crew changes, build in extra ground-travel buffers and reconfirm insurance coverage for alternate landing sites.
Source: Fintraffic AIS NOTAM Bulletin
