The WebTrak service provides detailed information about aircraft location, altitude and type at an approximate distance of 70 km from Helsinki Airport. “The service has been in use for slightly over six months, and has proven very popular. In particular, the residents of areas near the airport have been interested in it, as comprehensive information on aircraft routes can be found through it”, says Mikko Viinikainen, Finavia's sustainable development director.
The service helps users understand flight route location, aircraft altitude and the impact of wind conditions on the use of runways. The service registers noise data from nine noise measurement stations near the airport. Data on the routes of all aircraft originates from the air traffic control radar. Military, emergency and official flights are not shown. For reasons of security, flights are shown with a one-hour delay.
Helsinki Airport's air traffic areas to be repaired again this summer
Renovation and construction will take place in the air traffic areas at Helsinki Airport in the 2014 summer season. The work will include the construction of new de-icing areas for aircraft and resurfacing of taxiways. Development of the de-icing areas will decrease the environmental load on waterways from operations during winter. The work carried out during the summer will have some impact on aircraft noise in the nearby area as the repairs to the runway will cause changes to aircraft routes from April to June.
As Runway 2 will remain closed from 14 April to 13 June, 6 a.m. – 11 p.m., more aircraft noise will be experienced in the Kerava direction in westerly and south-westerly winds. There will be less noise in the Nurmijärvi direction. At night (11 p.m. – 6 p.m.), traffic will be as usual.
Aircraft have become quieter over time: in 1990, the Lden 55 dB noise area (where aircraft noise exceeds a day/evening/night-time noise level of 55 decibels annually) in the capital region had 97,000 residents, and about 14,000 in 2011. At the same time, air passenger volumes at Helsinki Airport have increased rapidly. In 1990, the number of passengers at Helsinki Airport stood at about 8 million, and more than 15 million in 2013. Road and railway noise in the capital region affects about one million people.
You can monitor the air traffic at Helsinki Airport on a map
The online service can be accessed on Finavia's website at www.finavia.fi/webtrak. The service provides historical data on air traffic for the three previous months, and the possibility to measure the distance and altitude of aircraft flying past your place of residence, for example. Through WebTrak, you can also submit feedback on individual planes. The feedback will be processed and entered into Finavia's environmental feedback system.
