Fintraffic ANS has issued AIP Supplement 085/2026 establishing a temporary danger area – designator EFD537 ‘MALLET STRIKE 1_26 Lohtaja’ – in the Helsinki Flight Information Region. The zone, split into two sub-areas extending from surface level to 3 000 ft MSL, is active daily 04:00-18:00 UTC from 17 to 19 May and 04:00-11:00 UTC on 20 May. Activation will be confirmed by NOTAM no later than the preceding day.
![Temporary danger zone ‘MALLET STRIKE 1_26’ activated over Lohtaja from 17 May]()
Should you or your flight crews need to arrange urgent travel documentation for Finland during the exercise window, VisaHQ offers a streamlined e-visa and passport service (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) that can fast-track Schengen applications, monitor embassy processing times, and deliver real-time status alerts—allowing dispatchers to focus on navigating the “MALLET STRIKE 1/26” airspace restrictions rather than paperwork.
The airspace is reserved for Finnish Defence Forces unmanned-aircraft (UAV) and live-fire manoeuvres under exercise code-name “MALLET STRIKE 1/26”. Unmanned aircraft operating inside an active danger area are not obliged to yield right-of-way to other traffic, meaning civil pilots must plan routings around the coordinates published in the supplement. Although the Lohtaja weapons range lies along Finland’s west coast, the danger area partially overlaps civilian approach paths to Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport (EFKK). Fintraffic therefore cautions that activity may be suspended or restricted to accommodate arriving or departing IFR flights. Operators should monitor H24 NOTAMs and coordinate with Tampere ACC to avoid last-minute re-routes. For airlines, business-aviation operators and drone service providers the key takeaway is to build extra flight-time margin into schedules between 17 and 20 May. Multinational firms flying staff to West Bothnia industrial sites may see delays if military activity intensifies. The exercise underscores Finland’s rapid shift towards networked UAV capabilities following its NATO accession in 2024. Aviation-mobility managers should expect more frequent short-notice danger areas as joint drills with allies expand, and update crew briefing systems to ingest AIXM 5.1 files now attached to Finnish AIP Supplements.
Should you or your flight crews need to arrange urgent travel documentation for Finland during the exercise window, VisaHQ offers a streamlined e-visa and passport service (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) that can fast-track Schengen applications, monitor embassy processing times, and deliver real-time status alerts—allowing dispatchers to focus on navigating the “MALLET STRIKE 1/26” airspace restrictions rather than paperwork.
The airspace is reserved for Finnish Defence Forces unmanned-aircraft (UAV) and live-fire manoeuvres under exercise code-name “MALLET STRIKE 1/26”. Unmanned aircraft operating inside an active danger area are not obliged to yield right-of-way to other traffic, meaning civil pilots must plan routings around the coordinates published in the supplement. Although the Lohtaja weapons range lies along Finland’s west coast, the danger area partially overlaps civilian approach paths to Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport (EFKK). Fintraffic therefore cautions that activity may be suspended or restricted to accommodate arriving or departing IFR flights. Operators should monitor H24 NOTAMs and coordinate with Tampere ACC to avoid last-minute re-routes. For airlines, business-aviation operators and drone service providers the key takeaway is to build extra flight-time margin into schedules between 17 and 20 May. Multinational firms flying staff to West Bothnia industrial sites may see delays if military activity intensifies. The exercise underscores Finland’s rapid shift towards networked UAV capabilities following its NATO accession in 2024. Aviation-mobility managers should expect more frequent short-notice danger areas as joint drills with allies expand, and update crew briefing systems to ingest AIXM 5.1 files now attached to Finnish AIP Supplements.
