“Next year, we will finish all the expansions serving the long-distance traffic of Helsinki Airport. We plan to launch new, spacious and comfortable facilities, new services and modern infrastructure. At the same time, the focal point of our investment programme will shift from increasing long-distance traffic capacity to expanding Terminal 2,” says Finavia’s Technical Director Henri Hansson.
In January, the most visible phase of the development programme at Helsinki Airport will begin when the airport’s check-in and arrivals halls and public transport connections are revamped. At the beginning of 2020, a completely new area serving air passengers will be completed in front of Terminal 2.
“We are building an expansion to house check-in, security control, baggage drop and an area for greeting passengers. The current departure and arrivals halls of Terminal 2 will undergo a complete transformation and become part of the gate area. This means the airport will have plenty more space for passengers and more opportunities to make its service offering more diverse,” says Hansson.
Passengers can look forward to a luxurious and architecturally stunning airport.
“Before everything is ready, there will be dust, noise and other disruptions. Services will need to relocate, passenger routes will be changed, walking distances will be longer and car parking will be further away,” says Hansson, describing what passengers can expect for the next 2–3 years.
He emphasises that Finavia will do its utmost to ensure the best possible customer experience despite the major construction project. The company will invest in worksite traffic planning, fluency of traffic arrangements and communications. For example, 15 new people have been employed to guide passengers in the area.
Parking arrangements for private vehicles revised first
After serving more than 7 million vehicles, the 30-year-old parking hall P2/P1 will be demolished to make room for the new, iconic entrance of Helsinki Airport.
The hall will be closed on 7 January, after which the customers of the airport can take their vehicles to parking halls P3 and P5 and the outdoor car park P4. The short term parking spaces in front of Terminals 1 and 2 will also be relocated to parking hall P3.
Finavia operates a free-of-charge shuttle bus between the parking areas and the terminal.
Finavia prepared for the demolition of the parking hall by expanding parking hall P5 in 2016. This resulted in 3,000 additional parking spaces at the airport.
“The expansion of Terminal 2 also includes the construction of a new parking hall which will be completed in a couple of years,” says Hansson.
The next major change will take place in the summer when the taxi and bus stops will be relocated and the traffic arrangements revised. Finavia will provide more information in 2019.
Three tips for passengers
- There will be monthly, even weekly changes. Before arriving at the airport, we recommend checking the news of Helsinki Airport on the Finavia website.
- Arrive at the airport early. Passengers should make sure they have time to reach the terminal and make it to their flight on time.
- Those driving to the airport should reserve parking in advance to ensure a conveniently located parking space.
The expansion of Terminal 2 is part of Finavia’s billion-euro investment programme with the aim of strengthening the status of Helsinki Airport as a significant European airport and getting it ready to serve 30 million passengers in the future.
The new building will have a floor area of approximately 40,000 square metres. This includes new check-in and baggage drop facilities, security control and a multimodal travel centre. The current arrivals and departure halls will be part of the Schengen gate area. The alteration work will cover a total of 35,000 square metres.
In addition to the terminal expansion, a new parking hall will be constructed with 1,800 extra parking spaces. There will be an approximately 4,500 m2 taxi zone and approximately 6,500 m2 area for buses.
The parking hall will be completed in 2020, the new airport building in 2021 and the alteration work in 2022. The construction work alliance consists of Finavia, SRV and the expansion design team ALA Architects, HKP Architects and Ramboll Finland. The project is partially funded by the European Union.
Helsinki Airport month by month
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January |
Parking hall P2/P1 closed on 7 January. Demolition of the parking hall begins. The changes apply to anyone arriving at the airport in their own vehicle. |
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February |
Aukio, the heart of the long-haul expansion of Helsinki Airport, is opened. |
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March–April |
Private vehicles’ passenger drop-off zone at Terminal 2 relocates to the arrivals level. The taxi zone relocates to the ground floor. Some service desks are also relocated. The expansion of Terminal 1 is opened in April. |
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May |
The long-haul area is further expanded and the first section of the west pier is completed. The ramps leading up to the main entrance of Terminal 2 are demolished. The bus area relocates to the front of the Scandic hotel. Some service desks are also relocated. |
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June |
The border control expansion serving long-haul passengers is opened. |
Finavia’s investment program in brief
- Terminal floor area increased by 45% (103,000 m2), corresponding to an area the size of the Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki. The total area of the terminal in the early 2020s will be more than 250,000 m2, about ten times the size of the Finnish Parliament Houses.
- More bridge gates for airplanes: 8 gates for wide-body aircraft (an increase of 100%), 4 gates for narrow-body aircraft (an increase of 15%)
- Luggage handling capacity increased by 50%
- Passport control capacity increased by 50%
- Renovated apron area (aircraft parking areas and taxiways) amounts to 450,000 m2, corresponding to an area of around 90 football fields.
- Expansion of parking hall P5 (3,000 parking spaces) and a new parking hall (1,800 parking spaces)
- A multimodal travel centre, linking together different modes of transport
- Finavia’s investment: about EUR 1 billion
- Employment impact of the investment programme during construction 14,000 person-years
- Growth of air traffic creates 5,000 new permanent jobs
Read more about Helsinki Airport Development Programme.
Images: Arkkitehtitoimisto ALA, Mir
