Scandic Helsinki Airport will open some 100 metres from terminal 2.
- Currently, there are three hotels in the airport area. The increase in room capacity improves the service level of the airport and supports stopover tourism in Finland. We wish Scandic warmly welcome to Helsinki Airport, says Ville Haapasaari, Helsinki Airport director at Finavia.
The construction of Scandic Helsinki Airport will begin in 2017, and the hotel is expected to be completed during the first half of 2018. The property is owned by Finavia’s subsidiary LAK Real Estate Oyj. Part of the property will be used by Finavia.
The new hotel will support stopover tourism
Once completed, Scandic Helsinki Airport will increase the hotel room capacity at the airport area significantly. The hotel will have 148 rooms, five conference rooms, a bar and restaurant, a gym and a sauna.
"The increase in room capacity improves the service level of the airport and supports stopover tourism in Finland."
- Helsinki Airport is Europe's leading transfer airport for air traffic between Asia and Europe. The number of passengers passing through the airport every day equals the full capacity of the Olympic Stadium. This also offers a huge potential for tourism in Finland, Haapasaari says.
For example, travellers on their way from Asia to Central Europe may make a stop in Helsinki in between flights, and easily leave their luggage at the airport hotel. The direct train connection to the centre of Helsinki makes it easy to visit the city.
- Scandic Helsinki Airport is a valuable addition to our portfolio. It strengthens our position as the largest hotel chain in the Nordic countries. The property has a unique location, being only a stone's throw away from the terminal, says Aki Käyhkö, managing director of Scandic Hotels Oy.
Currently, Glo Hotel Airport, Hilton Helsinki Airport and Clarion Hotel Helsinki Airport, which opened next to Aviapolis in October 2016, are operating in the Helsinki Airport area.
Helsinki Airport is one of the most important business hubs in Finland
In a few years, Helsinki Airport has grown into one of the most significant business hubs in Finland. Air traffic alone offers direct jobs to more than 20,000 people in Finland, most of whom work at Helsinki Airport.
Aviapolis, situated next to the airport, is a business area for 35,000 people, and it is estimated that at least 15,000 new jobs will still be created in the area.
"The ground rule is that one million new passengers create one thousand new jobs in air traffic."
- Helsinki Airport has maintained its attractiveness as a business location, and for good reason. Not many other areas have direct access to the rest of the world via flight connections or to the Helsinki region via the direct train connection, Haapasaari says.
Finavia is heavily developing Helsinki Airport. Currently, construction is underway in the south and west wings of the terminal. Altogether, the airport expansion will be completed in 2020, when the passenger volume is estimated to cross the threshold of 20 million passengers.
Growth in air traffic also creates new jobs.
- The ground rule is that one million new passengers create one thousand new jobs in air traffic. By 2020, our development programme is expected to create roughly 5,000 new permanent jobs, Haapasaari says.
Last year, the passenger volume of Helsinki Airport was 17.2 million. Half of these passengers come from other countries.
