So far 18m passengers used Helsinki Airport

December 13 was a milestone for Helsinki Airport in service provision as the total number of passengers travelling through the airport reached 18 million on the day, said Finavia, the operator of the countries airports.

“Helsinki Airport is growing rapidly. The number of passengers passing through the airport each year is more than three times the population of Finland. At this rate, the magic number of 20 million will be reached as early as 2019,” remarked Helsinki Airport Director Ville Haapasaari in a press release.

The rise in passenger flow has exceeded all expectations, and the airport staff experiences it firsthand, as during the peak hours, the terminal these days turns into a chock-a-block.

Roughly half of the passengers travelling through Helsinki Airport are from Finland and the rest from other countries. The highest growth in passenger number was made thanks to the flights flying between Europe and Asia, more particularly China. Also, more and more foreign tourists have been visiting Finland to enjoy their vacations.

Finavia’s development plan has progressed right on the schedule, said Haapasaari in a tone of pleasure. “We have managed to increase the passenger space at Helsinki Airport as well as the infrastructure required by air traffic according to our plan. In 2019, we will open a stunning central plaza in the long-distance flight area in terminal 2, including a brand new security control area, some of the new departure gates in the west pier, the border control extension and seven additional departure gates in the extension of terminal 1.”

Finavia is investing 900 million euros in the development and expansion of Helsinki Airport. The aim is to further strengthen the airport’s position as a significant airline hub between Europe and Asia. The massive extension will allow the airport to serve 30 million passengers a year.

An internationally competitive airport is important for the well-being of Finland as a whole. Air traffic is a major employer and an important taxpayer. In Finland, air traffic employs about 100,000 people directly or indirectly, and the aviation industry pays EUR 2.5 billion in direct or indirect taxes. As we speak, Helsinki Airport provides jobs for approximately 15,000 people, said the press release.