The First Finnish certified civil aircraft
15 May 2025
Finland has a long history in aircraft design and manufacturing, but the planes have been either military or ultralights/experimental. So, as strange it is, Atol Aurora will be the first certified civil aircraft from the land of blue lakes and white clouds.
The Atol Aurora is a single-engine, two-seat aircraft in the LSA (Light Sport Aircraft) category, capable of taking off and landing almost anywhere while flying up to 800 kilometers or six hours without refueling.
The aircraft’s primary material is Finnish wood, which, when properly treated and combined with other materials, offers an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Despite misconceptions, wood is highly suitable for aviation use. Like other components in type-approved aircraft, the wood parts’ entire history is meticulously documented from forest to airframe installation. Naturally, only the highest-quality wood is used.
The aircraft is powered by a fuel-efficient Rotax 912 iS Sport engine, with flight instruments supplied by Garmin and Kanardia.
Cabin ergonomics were developed in collaboration with LAB University of Applied Sciences.
Overall, the aircraft’s domestic content is approximately 75%, which is significant from both an industrial policy and supply security perspective.
Not only the aircraft, but also the production facility has been EASA certified.
Modern aircraft means electronics and lots of wires. Atol Aurora is not an exception.
Wood is an important part of Atol Aurora construction. All indiviual wood parts can be tracked to the forest.
The Atol Aurora is based on the ATOL ultralight aircraft (Advanced Take-off and Landing), which first flew in 1988 and has logged over 1,000 flight hours across its variants. The new Atol Aurora is larger, improved, and technologically updated—essentially a new aircraft.
Crucially, the production process and facilities in Jämsä’s Halli have been officially approved under strict civilian aviation regulations. Much of the development work has focused on securing rigorous regulatory approval and building the required organization.
This enables the aircraft to receive type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), allowing it to be sold and operated worldwide.
Test Flight Program
The first Atol Aurora is complete, and this test aircraft will make its maiden flight in Halli as soon as final checks and adjustments are finished. EASA has already granted permission to begin test flights.
The aircraft will first undergo engine and system tests and be evaluated on the runway, accelerating to near-takeoff speeds, before finally taking to the air. Tests and the maiden flight require favorable weather, so specific dates cannot be set in advance. Recently, the Finnish summer weather has been conducive to, windy and rainy – everything we'd like to avoid when flying first time.
Following the maiden flight, a months-long test flight program will begin to verify the Atol Aurora’s flight characteristics in various situations and conditions.