News

The work on the extension of the Helsinki-Vantaa International Terminal is making rapid progress, and the new state-of-the-art facilities will start serving long-haul passengers in autumn 2009. Design focus has been on ensuring a smooth flow of passengers and providing those using the airport with new experiences.

The new services of the International Terminal will include Finnair?s high-quality spa and the stylish via.Helsinki-lounge. Long-haul passengers can enjoy a unique runway view while sitting in the sauna or, alternatively, they can indulge themselves by taking soothing treatments.

?The fact that we are adding luxurious wellness, spa and lounge services means that world-class services will now also be available to Finnish passengers,? explains Juha-Pekka Pystynen, Finavia airport director at Helsinki-Vantaa.

Finavia will spend more than half of the money it is investing in the extension project on a state-of-the-art baggage handling centre. Its handling system will be based on the latest technology used at the largest international airports. Some 20,000 square metres of additional space will be allocated to baggage handling and sorting.

Because of the extra space and modern technology, the airport will be able to handle more than four million additional pieces of baggage each year. Pystynen believes that increased capacity will also mean better service for passengers and smoother Asian traffic.

A 280-metre-long tunnel lying at a depth of 22 metres has been excavated under the International Terminal, connecting its new and existing baggage facilities. The total length of the handling system will be more than 10 km, and it will have a peak capacity of 7,000 pieces of baggage per hour.

Finavia started work on the extension of the Helsinki-Vantaa International Terminal in September 2006, and the first stage will be ready in autumn 2009. The project is estimated to cost EUR 143 million, making it Finavia?s biggest investment ever.