FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Finavia Group also serves society by taking care of its financial responsibility. In 2007, Finavia Group had a turnover of EUR 310.3 million and invested EUR 93.5 million. In the year under review, Finavia paid EUR 11.4 million in dividends.

Finavia functions cost-effectively. Finavia’s operations are financed in their entirety from the revenue that it receives from the services provided to its customers. The company’s objective is to maintain an affordable price level in the future, compared with European actors. Only by operating profitably and cost-effectively can Finavia carry out the necessary investments in the development of air traffic and thereby help to create the preconditions for the operations of Finnish industry and commerce.

As a result of its healthy finances, Finavia will in the future as well be able to return some of its income to the State every year in line with its profit requirement. During the year under review, Finavia focused in particular on strengthening its procurement strategy. The objective is to continue to improve the quality level of procurements and to enhance processes. The work improves the general quality and safety of Finavia’s operations and eases resource pressures. Thereby Finavia also ensures that its procurements are carried out ethically and in an environmentally sustainable fashion.

RESPONSIBILITY

In relation to its population, Finland has one of the world’s most dense networks of airports. Short distances to airports mean smooth passenger traffic and a logistically well functioning society. Finavia creates the foundation for a smoothly working, safe and functioning airport. That, in turn, enables Finnish industry and commerce to be competitive on the global market. Therefore, the basic task of Finavia’s business operations is itself already part of taking care of social responsibility.

Through its operations, Finavia creates new jobs and the foundations for the operation of companies relying on air traffi c such as tourism operators. A research project carried out by the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration and published in 2007, studied the economic effects of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The study revealed that the airport creates about 14,000 jobs directly and about 72,000 jobs indirectly. Their combined share of Finland’s gross domestic product is over three per cent.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

One of Finavia’s objectives is to make environmental issues a natural part of the work of each Finavia employee. Finavia has about ten employees whose main task is to handle the Group’s environmental matters. Most of them work at Finavia’s environmental unit, which handles environmental permit processes in a centralised fashion and supports Finavia’s divisions in their environmental activities. At airports, at least the airport manager, maintenance manager and the environmental affairs manager participate in environmental work.

Finavia has worked for many years to improve the energy efficiency of its operations. In 2007, the Group started to prepare an energy and climate programme, the objective of which is to reduce the Group’s use of energy and the emissions it creates. The programme defines practical means for the systematic and continual improvement of energy efficiency. The programme is part of the world’s air traffic and aviation industry’s broader commitment to energyconscious operations and its communication.

Air traffic accounts for 2–3 per cent of total global carbon dioxide emissions. Environmental permit processes were harmonised in 2000 when the new Environmental Protection Act entered into force. Every airport is not automatically required to have an environmental permit; rather the decision to start the permit process is made by the regional environmental centre.

In 2007, Finavia received an environmental permit decision concerning Tampere-Pirkkala Airport and Mariehamn Airport. Finavia requested a change in the requirements of Mariehamn Airport’s environmental permit. Finavia claimed that the permit set requirements on controlling an aeroplane that were in breach of the Aviation Act. The complaint did not concern the permit’s environmental requirements. The administrative court of the Åland Islands changed the regulations of the permit in line with Finavia’s request. Hearings connected to environmental permit processes were held concerning Helsinki-Malmi Airport, Joensuu Airport and Kuopio Airport. Finavia submitted environmental permit applications concerning Halli Airport and Joensuu Airport.

The application for Helsinki-Vantaa was submitted in December 2007. In 2007, noise studies pursuant to the European Union’s Environmental Noise Directive were carried out in Helsinki. The studies investigated the busiest roads, railways and airports. The studies showed that road and rail traffic comprise the most important part of all communal noise.

About half of Helsinki’s population, for example, about 270,000 people, live in an area that is subject to noise from roads and railways. About 10,000 people in the Helsinki area live in area with aircraft noise. Finavia replaced oil with wood pellets in the heating of airports at the Jyväskylä, Ivalo, Kemi-Tornio, Kajaani, Joensuu and Kruununpyy airports. As a result, 15 oil boilers were decommissioned and at an annual level 1.4 million litres of oil was replaced with renewable Finnish biofuel.

The first of the centralised aircraft de-icing points at Helsinki-Vantaa was completed in December 2007 and will be taken into use during 2008. This will make it possible to collect de-icing substances much better after they have been used.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Finavia wants to be a good employer that invests in the well-being and skills of its employees and their ability to cope at work. The professional skills of personnel and their development are handled, for example, by Avia College, the company’s own specialised occupational educational institution. Finavia respects the development of work and employees who continually learn new skills.

Finavia pays constant attention to the development of leadership and the creation of a good atmosphere at work. Personnel are also encouraged to participate in task rotation, for example.

Finavia also wants to reward committed personnel. Finavia uses a bonus scheme and has established a personnel fund. They were the first of their kind in State administration when they were founded.

Personnel are also encouraged to exercise and take care of their own health. Numerous campaigns to further wellbeing at work were carried out during the year under review, including campaigns addressing healthy eating and exercise. In the autumn of 2007, Finavia employees participated in a campaign in which Finavia donated one euro to Finland’s children’s clinics for each 30 minute exercise session. The personnel’s activities resulted in a donation of EUR 11,000 which was used to purchase equipment needed by clinics.

CULTURAL RESPONSIBILITY

Finavia is a major building developer and its architectural vision has received international and domestic recognition. The Finnish Association of Building Owners and Construction Clients RAKLI ry recognised Finavia as the best building developer of 2007. Finavia also received recognition in 2007 for the maintenance of its built property. In its 2007 State of Built Property (ROTI) report, the Finnish Association of Civil Engineers RIL gave Finland’s air traffic network an excellent grade of 9.5.

Finavia has also endeavoured to choose targets for cultural sponsorship so that they support individual airports and their surrounding areas and help to create passenger traffic. These kinds of targets have included the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Vantaa Baroque, Backas Jazz, Särestö Chamber Concerts and the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra. Through its purchases of art, the Group wants to improve the comfort of passengers and personnel and at the same time support local artists.