Helsinki Airport, the leading gateway connecting Europe with Asia, is getting ready to progress into the second stage of its €900 million investment programme, designed to put the airport in good stead for accommodating 20 million passengers by 2020 – a number it is close to achieving. In 2014, Helsinki Airport recorded close to 16 million passengers, and 2015 looks set to pass that milestone with year-to-date growth of +2.5%.
Helsinki Airport is continuing to upgrade the airport, with the next phase of the project commencing at the start of 2016. At a cost of €400 million, the phase will include terminal expansion, new passenger boarding bridges, new bus gates, a luggage transport system, apron extension, and other preparatory work.
“If we think about Helsinki, the biggest way to grow it is in Asia,” said Kari Savolainen, CEO Finavia. “Helsinki is the bridge between Asia and Europe – we have very short connections and we are going to grow as a transfer hub. If we think about the big cities in northern Asia, we can reach our daily frequency by using only one aircraft, as the turnaround time is much less than 24 hours. Therefore, if you think about where the growth is coming from it’s long-haul, wide-body connected to narrow-body, European routes. The main thing that we are doing is increasing the capacity and improving the customer experience in our wide-body terminal – the non-Schengen terminal. The idea is that we increase wide-body capacity to international non-Schengen travellers.”
The terminal extension is at the core of the second stage of the Helsinki Airport development programme, and construction will be executed in three smaller stages. Work is due to start at the beginning of 2016 in the southern wing of the non-Schengen terminal for completion in 2017. Development will then progress further in the terminal to expand the western wing, with an overall completion target of 2020. There are also plans to grow transit capacity, and expand Terminal 2 to cover the ground traffic area so that check-in, security control, and bag drop all take place in one departure/arrival hall.
The new modern development will feature unique Finnish architecture and material choices present in the décor. Inspired by the forest landscapes of Finland, the terminal has been designed with a focus on the wood, colours and ambience of Finnish nature.
The expansion project will increase the floor area of Helsinki Airport by 45% – the site comprises 330,000sqm, the equivalent of 65 football fields. Finavia is also investing in eight new passenger boarding bridges, new bus gates, a luggage transport system, apron expansion, and other preparatory work. The investment in this stage of the project equates to roughly €400 million, and Savolainen explained that the total development programme investment of €900 million has been evenly distributed between 2015 and 2020.
“The next phases after that will be the expansion of the processes,” Savolainen furthered. “We will have a new baggage handling system, and also increased services for passengers that are coming by road or railway to the airport. We are constantly introducing more and more digital services and tools for our passengers, so that is a big part of the investment.” Examples of already existing digital solutions include the free unlimited Wi-Fi, Helsinki Airport mobile app, and on-going e-boarding pilot project at the gate area.
The terminal will be constructed using a ‘one-roof concept’, which Savolainen said is very flexible from the viewpoint of the passenger as it “doesn’t spoil too much time when commuting between different terminals”. By having all services in one building, distances are kept short and services accessible. In addition, the design will feature unique Finnish architecture and material choices present in the décor. Inspired by the forest landscapes of Finland, the development has been designed with a focus on the wood, colours, and ambience of Finnish nature.
The first phase of the Helsinki Airport development programme included new security check and bag drop kiosks, commercial overhaul with 70 new or renovated shops and restaurants, renewal of Baggage Claim Hall 2B, and the renovations of Runway 1, and Arrival Hall 2A. The Ring Rail Line railway link opened in July 2015, which links the airport to Helsinki City Centre – 18km away.
