Cornerstone was laid for the new national aviation (and space) museum of Finland

The Finnish Aviation Museum in Vantaa, right by Helsinki Airport, is getting a new building. The halls dating from the 1980s, poorly suited to modern museum use, will be replaced by a purpose-built new museum building scheduled to open at the end of 2027.

The cornerstone was laid today, and the ceremonial event brought together the project’s implementers, funders and partners. Speeches were given by, among others, Minister of the Environment and Climate Sari Multala, Director General Juha Rintamäki of the Ministry of Education and Culture, and Vantaa Mayor Pekka Timonen.

In the header image, Minister Multala and Director General Rintamäki place a time capsule into the cornerstone.

For the SpacEconomy project and for the Finnish space sector as a whole, the most interesting remarks came from Jarkko Konttinen, Chair of the Board of the Finnish Aviation Museum Foundation.

“The new museum is much more than a new building: it is part of our national memory and identity. At the same time, the museum’s gaze is widening into space. We want to record the development of Finnish space technology and expertise for future generations. Today’s cutting-edge skills are tomorrow’s history. The foundation stone being laid today is the basis for a new kind of national aviation and space museum.”

The history of Finnish space activities will become part of the museum’s main exhibition, and the first special exhibition will also have a space theme. The exhibition will open at the same time as the museum, currently expected at the end of 2027.

In addition to presenting history, the space exhibition will look to the future. It will show how space is already an essential part of everyday life, and how space activities and their many applications offer very substantial economic opportunities for Finland.

The new Aviation Museum will have about 7,000 square metres of space. Besides exhibition areas, it will include event spaces, a café, a museum shop and other facilities linked to the museum’s operations, such as flight simulators. The new museum centre is aiming for more than 100,000 visitors a year.

The new Aviation Museum is being built with funding from the state, the City of Vantaa and private sources. The museum is still seeking private funding from foundations, companies and individuals.

Partners joining at the project stage are central to making possible an impressive, high-quality and immersive museum as a whole. The launch partners are Finavia, Finnair and Patria.

The key partner of the space-themed special exhibition is the European Space Agency.

The new Aviation Museum will be built right next to the current museum in Vantaa’s Aviapolis district. When completed, it will replace the existing museum premises and form a new attractive cultural and tourism destination in Aviapolis.