"This is a commercial space that all of Finland can be proud of – a combination of a high-quality offering, a managed whole and a world-class user experience," says the jury of the NCSC competition in the award rationale for Helsinki Airport.
"We are delighted that Helsinki Airport's strong position as an interesting commercial space is being recognised! More than one million passengers travel via Helsinki Airport each month, and our airport's new facilities and services offer opportunities for unique encounters with both international and Finnish brands. The customer experience at our airport is among the best in Europe, which supports commercial success," Nora Immonen, Finavia's Director of Commercial Services for Helsinki Airport.
The winner was chosen by an expert jury who also visited each of the participating locations. In the jury's opinion, Helsinki Airport's particular commercial strengths are the managed whole of the space and the uniform concept, such as how the service offering has been created as part of a clear and seamless customer experience.
"The winning space offers an exceptionally well-curated service package that is functional and memorable and offers enjoyable experiences. It meets the needs of a wide range of customer groups smoothly, competitively and with high quality," the jury says about the choice of Helsinki Airport.
Helsinki Airport won in the category of Commercial Space of the Year < 25,000m², where the area refers to the total area of retail space at the airport. As the winner in its category, Helsinki Airport will participate in the NCSC Nordic Awards competition in Stockholm in September 2025.
"We are continuously developing Helsinki Airport as a commercial space so that it offers excellent operating conditions for a wide range of commercial operators," Immonen says.
Helsinki Airport currently has a total of about 50 shops and 50 cafés and restaurants. According to an annual stakeholder survey commissioned by Finavia and conducted by Taloustutkimus, Helsinki Airport's commercial partners' satisfaction with Finavia was 4.40/5 in 2024.
This year, Vantaa had double the success, as the Jumbo shopping centre, which is also located in Vantaa, won in the Commercial Space of the Year > 25,000m² category. The other competition categories included Commercial Player of the Year and Marketing Campaign of the Year.
NCSC and NCSC Awards
NCSC (Nordic Commercial Spaces and Communities) is an organisation representing commercial spaces and communities in the Nordic countries. Among other things, NCSC holds networking events and an annual awards ceremony in all Nordic countries.
The NCSC Awards is an annual competition that celebrates the most successful, innovative and creative commercial efforts in the industry. The competition starts with national competitions in each Nordic country. The winners will then go on to compete against each other in the Nordic Finale in Stockholm on 4 September 2025. The competition categories are: Commercial Space of the Year (> 25,000m² and < 25,000m²), Commercial Player of the Year (four different subcategories) and Marketing Campaign of the Year.
Main Image: The award was received by Noora Westerberg, Helsinki Airport's Commercial Manager, and Minttu Ketola, Helsinki Airport's Commercial Coordinator from Finavia on April 24, 2025. The award was presented by Klaus Ek and Mika Kovanen from R8 Technologies.
