On the ground and upwards

Anyone who has been to Helsinki-Vantaa lately will know that building work is taking place at a fast pace at the airport - both on the ground and upwards. The international terminal is being expanded and in the immediate vicinity of the terminal a new car park and seven- storey hotel are rising up. The construction pace will continue as the construction of the twelve-storey World Trade Center will most likely start in 2007.

The party behind the hotel and WTC projects is the property investment company owned by Finavia, Lentoasemakiinteistöt Oyj (LAK). The company is the developer of the projects and owner of the buildings.

" Finavia manages the terminals, we offer premises and service to companies whose operations are closely tied in with the air traffic service chain", explains the subsidiary company’s managing director Antti Ala-Heikkilä. “At the same time, we create new businesses for the airports, which in turn benefits the parent company.”

“The hotel is a major investment for us and signifies an important rise in the level of service for Finavia.” The new hotel will serve the airport’s gateway traffic and will secure Helsinki-Vantaa’s position among the leading mid-sized airports in the world. The hotel will assist Finavia in supporting Finnair’s Asia strategy.

In addition to the hotel, the WTC project that is in the planning stage has kept Mr. Ala-Heikkilä busy during the year under review. If the marketing and sales of the premises goes as smoothly as planned, the construction work can begin within a rapid time frame.

Investing in property is in Mr. Ala-Heikkilä’s opinion a long-term business, involving long lease agreements and close relationships with service providers. The majority of the operations in the company, which is managed by a team of three, have been outsourced.

“Our aim is for profitable growth, of course. If we can support Finavia’s operations at the same time, we will have succeeded in our objectives,” says Mr. Ala-Heikkilä who has managed the property company since 1999.


Lentoasemakiinteistöt Oyj (LAK)
develops and leases office and logistics properties and premises that can be used for keeping and repairing aircraft.