Finavia launched the expansion of parking facility P5 in autumn 2014. Now, two new stories and an expansion have been added to the original building, offering 3,000 new parking spaces.
- The Helsinki Airport infrastructure is developing significantly as we are preparing to serve 20 million annual passengers in 2020. The higher the number of passengers is, the more parking spaces we need, says Ville Haapasaari, director Helsinki Airport at Finavia.
The parking facility expansion increases the total number of parking spaces at Helsinki Airport to 13,000. P5 now offers 4,600 parking spaces. In all probability, it is the largest parking garage in Finland.
- We have installed a space-specific guidance system at all levels, apart from the roof level, thanks to which it is easy to find an available parking space. Parking can also be made easier by booking a space beforehand from our website or by using our mobile app, Haapasaari says.
In addition, parking in P5 is now quicker and easier thanks to the automatic number plate recognition system which will be installed in all parking facilities at the airport.
Energy efficiency and electric car charging stations are parts of a modern travel process
The concrete-structured P5 is an unheated car park, and with the exception of the lifts, staircases and certain technical rooms, there is no need to heat the building. The 120,000 m2 building is illuminated by LEDs, which there are nearly 3,000 at parking levels alone.
"Equipped with smart controls, the LED system offers energy savings of up to 80 per cent compared with conventional lighting solutions."
- Equipped with smart controls, the LED system offers energy savings of up to 80 per cent compared with conventional lighting solutions. This has a significant impact on the building's carbon dioxide emissions, says Esa-Pekka Timonen, project manager at Finavia.
The number of cars powered by electricity, i.e. electric and hybrid cars, has increased rapidly around the world. Finland is also showing an upward trend. The Ministry of Transport and Communications has estimated that the number of cars powered by electricity will multiply in Finland in the next few years.
Finavia responds to this increasing demand by offering charging stations for more than 30 electric cars in P5.
- Parking areas are natural locations to charge batteries. Cars are often parked at the airport for at least one day and usually even longer, which is why it is important to be able to charge cars at the airport, Timonen says.
Charging stations for electric cars have been available in parking facility P1 at Helsinki Airport for a few years, and demand for additional capacity has been high. The charging area in P5 has been designed so that the number of charging stations can be increased in the near future.
- Easy-to-use charging stations are important parts of a modern travel process, customer service, sustainable development and environmental responsibility, Timonen says.
"Easy-to-use charging stations are important parts of a modern travel process and customer service."
In addition to Helsinki Airport, electric car charging stations are available at Ivalo Airport. At Oulu Airport, passengers can heat their cars with electricity, and the parking area is also suitable for slow charging. Next autumn, new charging stations will be built at Oulu, Rovaniemi and Kittilä Airports.
Use of the train connection increasing
The expansion of P5 is part of Finavia's EUR 1 billion development programme which aims to strengthen Helsinki Airport's position as one Europe's leading transit airports.
Through the development programme, transport connections at Helsinki Airport have improved.
A train connection to the airport was opened in summer 2015, and now the airport is even easier to reach from different parts of Finland. In the first quarter of 2016, up to 13% of all passengers arrived at Helsinki Airport by train.
