Helsinki Airport

Helsinki Airport Helsinki-Vantaan lentoasema Helsingfors-Vanda flygplats
IATA: HEL – ICAO: EFHK
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Finavia
Serves		Helsinki, Finland
Location		Vantaa
Hub for		Finnair Flybe Nordic Nordic Global Airlines Norwegian Air Shuttle
Focus city for		Blue1
Elevation AMSL		55 m / 179 ft
Coordinates		60°19′02″N 024°57′48″E / 60.31722°N 24.96333°E / 60.31722; 24.96333Coordinates: 60°19′02″N 024°57′48″E / 60.31722°N 24.96333°E / 60.31722; 24.96333
Website		helsinki-vantaa.fi
Map
HEL Location within Finland
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
04R/22L	3,400	11,200	Asphalt
04L/22R	3,060	10,039	Asphalt
15/33	2,901	9,518	Asphalt
Statistics (2013)
Passengers			15,279,043
Landings			82,890
Source: AIP Finland[1] Statistics from Finavia[2]

Helsinki Airport^[3] or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport^[1] (IATA: HEL, ICAO: EFHK; Finnish: Helsinki-Vantaan lentoasema, Swedish: Helsingfors-Vanda flygplats^[4]) is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about 5 kilometres (3 mi) west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and 9.2 NM (17.0 km; 10.6 mi) north^[1] of Helsinki city centre. Originally built for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, the airport served 14,865,871 passengers in 2011 and it is the fourth largest airport in the Nordic countries. It provides jobs for 20,000 people and there are 1,500 companies who operate at this airport.^[5] Helsinki Airport is the leading and most busiest cargo airport in the Nordic countries.^[6]

The airport is operated by Finavia, the state-owned enterprise that operates Finland's airports. Helsinki Airport was chosen as the best airport in the world in the IATA 1999 survey on the topic. In 2006 the global airport customer satisfaction survey AETRA ranked Helsinki Airport one of the best airports worldwide and according to Association of European Airlines 2005 delay rates, Helsinki Airport was the most punctual airport in Europe.

The airport is the international and domestic hub for Finnair, the Finnish flag carrier. It is also the hub for Blue1, the Finnish regional division of Scandinavian Airlines. Low cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle and Flybe Nordic are based at Helsinki Airport as well.

Facilities

Terminals

The airport is nominally divided into 2 terminals, located 250 metres (820 ft) apart and linked by an internal pedestrian connection both airside and landside. In practice, however, the airside parts of the terminal buildings are not divided into terminal 1 (the former domestic terminal) and terminal 2 (the former international terminal) but to Schengen and non-Schengen areas. The non-Schengen area of terminal 2 has been enlarged in 2009 enabling the airport to accommodate eight wide-body aircraft at gates simultaneously. Terminal capacity of the airport is approximately 16-17 million passengers per year.^[7]

In 2013 Finavia announced plans to expand the airport to serve up to 20 million passenger by 2020. The construction is set to begin in 2014 by adding capacity to check-in and transit areas at Terminal 2. The expansion project is estimated to cost 900 million euros. Part of the plan is to build a satellite terminal next to Terminal 2 but no final decision is made yet.^[8]

Runways

The airport's three runways provide a platform for future growth while the airport can accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A340. The use of three runways allows for efficient clearing away of snow and ice during the winter months to keep the airport open.^[9]

Ground handling

The following handling agents provide ground handling services for airlines:^[10] Airpro, Inter Handling, ISS Aviation, Servisair, Groundpower, Swissport.

Airlines and destinations

Runway 33 at Helsinki Airport

Check-in-area at Terminal 2

Lounge from Finnair at Terminal 2

An Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 737-800 at Helsinki Airport

An American Airlines Boeing 767-300ER at Helsinki Airport

Scheduled

Charter

Cargo

Statistics

Passport stamp

Passport stamp (old style)

Passengers

Annual passenger statistics for Helsinki Airport^[12]

Year	Domestic passengers	International passengers	Total passengers	Change
1999	2,803,907	6,760,931	9,564,028	+2.2%
2000	3,042,914	6,967,234	10,010,148	+4.7%
2001	2,999,672	7,031,246	10,030,918	+0.2%
2002	2,747,862	6,862,025	9,609,887	−4.2%
2003	2,684,618	7,026,302	9,710,920	+1.1%
2004	2,836,852	7,893,125	10,729,977	+10.5%
2005	2,804,304	8,326,285	11,130,589	+3.7%
2006	2,927,627	9,220,154	12,147,781	+9.1%
2007	2,875,289	10,215,455	13,090,744	+7.8%
2008	2,700,350	10,726,551	13,426,901	+2.2%
2009	2,372,844	10,218,762	12,591,606	−6.3%
2010	2,208,521	10,674,878	12,883,399	+2.2%
2011	2,707,044	12,158,827	14,865,871	+15.5%
2012	2,693,151	12,165,064	14,858,215	−0.1%
2013	2,431,632	12,847,411	15,279,043	+2.8%

Freight and Mail

Loaded/Unloaded freight and mail (tons, kg) Helsinki Airport^[13]

Year	Domestic freight	Domestic mail	International freight	International mail	Total freight and mail	Change
2005	4,692	5,251	115,734	9,627	135,303	+1.9%
2006	4,145	5,469	126,332	9,098	145,044	+7.2%
2007	3,171	5,676	139,840	14,961	154,801	+6.7%
2008	2,968	4,435	140,572	9,532	157,508	+1.8%
2009	1,322	2,161	110,382	8,243	122,107	−22.5%
2010	1,083	1,992	147,139	7,793	158,007	+29.4%
2011	615	2,464	157,178	9,962	169,985	+8.0%
2012	1,747	1,930	180,426	8,100	192,204	+12.8%

Other operations

Finnair head office, Tietotie 11

Finnair's head office is located in Tietotie 11 on the grounds of Helsinki Airport. The company moved the head office there from central Helsinki in 1994. The company held a "house-warming" ceremony on 11 January 1994.^[14] The head office of Finavia, the company that manages Finland's airports, is located on the grounds of the airport.^[15] Other airlines with head offices on the grounds of the airport include Blue1.^[16]

The Aviapolis is a new international business park adjacent to the Helsinki airport area, already hosting the operations of numerous companies around the airport. Several hotels are located near the airport as well.

Ground transportation

Rail

Tikkurila Railway Station

Connecting the airport by frequent local bus 61 of Helsinki Regional Transport Authority or taxi to the Tikkurila railway station provides access to commuter trains as well as to long-distance trains in the directions of Tampere and Lahti, including lines to Saint Petersburg and Moscow. Bus number 540 connects to Espoo railway station in the direction of Turku.

The construction of the Ring Rail Line rail link to the airport was started in May 2009, with an opening for traffic projected for mid-2015. The new railway will serve local commuter trains running at 10-minute intervals at peak periods. The trip from an underground station under the current airport terminal building to the Helsinki Central Station will take about 30 minutes. Passengers will be able to make the connection to and from long-distance trains at Tikkurila, an 8-minute journey away from the airport on the future rail connection.^[17]

Bus

There are regular bus service 615 to the Helsinki Central railway station in 30–55 minutes, and major hotels and railway stations in the Greater Helsinki Area in 15–120 minutes. The chief operator of these services is Helsinki Regional Transport Authority under the "HSL" brand. A direct coach service by Finnair is also available to and from the city center (usually about 30 min).

Coach connections, daytime and overnight, to all parts of Finland are provided by Matkahuolto and ExpressBus. They depart from airport coach terminal.

See also

• List of the largest airports in the Nordic countries

References

External links

Media related to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Helsinki airport – Airport homepage in English
• AIP Finland – Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
• Accident history for HEL at Aviation Safety Network

v t e Airports in Finland Major international Helsinki Minor international Ivalo Kittilä Kuusamo Lappeenranta Mariehamn Oulu Rovaniemi Tampere-Pirkkala Turku Vaasa Domestic Enontekiö Joensuu Jyväskylä Kajaani Kemi-Tornio Kokkola-Pietarsaari Kuopio Pori Savonlinna Seinäjoki Unscheduled Halli Helsinki-Malmi Kauhava Mikkeli Utti Varkaus