Press release
Friends of Malmi Airport
11 April 2016
Only 13 percent of the people in the capital region still want housing built on Malmi Airport. This result is evident from the opinion poll commissioned by FoMA and carried out by TNS Gallup Ltd as an identical continuation of the poll conducted in the summer 2014. A majority of citizens in the capital region wants to keep Malmi Airport in any case. If the needs of residential building could be solved otherwise, 68 percent of those interviewed would support continued aviation at Malmi.
According to all opinion polls, an overwhelming majority of the people of Helsinki and the capital region want aviation to continue at Malmi. In Helsinki there is both zoned and unzoned building land reserve many times more than the area of Malmi, so there is no shortage of space. It would seem that the decision-makers have acted on erroneous information.
Malmi is a venue of mass events and a significant cultural environment
The opinion poll reveals that the working class is the least in favor of residential building (8%), and entrepreneurs are the most in favor of keeping the aviation activities (75%). After this poll was conducted, Helsinki-Malmi Airport has received lots of publicity. It has been selected as one of Europe’s Seven Most Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites, and Helsinki City Council has thrown out a municipal popular initiative suggesting that it be kept in aviation use.
“During the last two weeks we have received loads of feedback and encouragement from which we can deduce that public opinion has turned even more in favor of keeping Malmi Airport. Now the City Council must listen to the citizens”, says Mr. Timo Hyvönen, Chairman of the Friends of Malmi Airport.
Malmi Airport is an open-for-all meeting place where not only pilots but people even from outside the capital region gather. The popular petition supporting Malmi Airport has already been signed by more than 71.000 people.
“The public opinion is so strong that the situation of the Airport must be re-evaluated. Aviation use must be maintained”, Hyvönen sums up the public discussion. “The decisions must take into account not only the present use of the Airport, but especially the huge possibilities of developing it in the future for making use of e.g. new technologies and fast, environmentally sound forms of travel in Helsinki and in Finland. According to EU forecasts, air traffic is growing strongly. Market research points out unscheduled light aviation as the fastest growing segment.”
The poll commissioned TNS Gallup Ltd by Friends of Malmi Airport was conducted as part of a phone omnibus survey from 15 February to 1 April 2016. The questions concerning Malmi Airport were made to people of 15-79 years age in Uusimaa province. Altogether 1023 interviews were made. The statistical error margin of the poll is about 3 percent units to either direction.
More information:
Friends of Malmi Airport
Timo Hyvönen, chairman
puheenjohtaja@malmiairport.fi
tel. +358 50 374 8371
Summary of TNS Gallup’s opinion poll »