LENTOASEMAKIINTEISTÖT HELPS AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT
Lentoasemakiinteistöt Oyj is a CAA subsidiary that looks after the organisation’s property investments and rents out office space in its own buildings, mainly to firms either working in the air traffic business or which benefit from it. The most important current project of the company, which was founded in 1999, is an airport hotel to be built at Helsinki-Vantaa especially for gateway passengers.
“We’ve been thinking about this hotel for a long time, since the company was founded,” Lentoasemakiinteistöt Oyj’s managing director, Antti Ala-Heikkilä, revealed.
“Helsinki-Vantaa is now catering for more than 11 million passengers, of whom about 75 per cent are international travellers. The hotel we are building will make an excellent addition to the airport’s services and also help to ensure that Helsinki-Vantaa remains a leading medium-sized airport in world terms.”
Under a cooperation contract signed in May 2005 the new 240 bedroom hotel, part of the Hilton chain, will be completed in autumn 2007, close to the International terminal. The cost of the work is expected to be about 40 million euros, with investment coming from both Lentoasemakiinteistöt and the hotel operator.
“Our company currently holds 14 properties, mostly located at Helsinki-Vantaa. They have a combined floor area of about 60 000 square meters,” said Mr Ala-Heikkilä. “Tenants include cargo companies, airlines and other air transport operators. Some are big, some are small; some have just a few employees.”
He said his clients include a number of international companies which don’t want to tie up a lot of capital in their own properties. His firm also rents space to companies whose staff travel a lot or which otherwise find it useful to be situated as closely as possible to the airport.
Lentoasemakiinteistöt is also helping to enhance certain plots of land owned by the CAA and is closely involved in the commercial development of the Aviapolis business park close to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. This joint project, involving the CAA, the municipality of Vantaa and construction and property companies, has been highly successful. It is currently the fastest growing area for jobs in the capital city area.
“Our activities are geared towards making the maximum possible returns whilst supporting the development of the airports,” summarises Mr Ala-Heikkilä. “We are working to bring in new operators to the vicinity of the airport, which in turn can increase business activity, services and competition in the area.”