In July, Finavia will take a leap forward in the travel chain as Helsinki Airport will combine flights to Spain with cruises in the Baltic Sea. Spanish Pullmantur Cruises starts to offer Baltic Sea cruises to passengers who first fly to Helsinki from Spain and then step directly aboard a cruise ship waiting at the Port of Helsinki.
“In recent years, Helsinki has been a port of call for many cruise ships, but this time the cruise in the Nordic starts from Finland, from Helsinki Airport. It is great that cruise passengers are now also air passengers, and we will do our best to support the development of such a travel product,” says Joni Sundelin, Senior Vice President at Finavia.
Pullmantur Cruises has tested similar travel packages before, but never to this extent. A total of 2,400 cruise passengers will arrive at Helsinki Airport. During an eight-day cruise, they will visit not only Helsinki, but also St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Stockholm. After mooring in Rostock, Germany, the passengers will be flown back home. Return flights will also be offered from Helsinki Airport.
At Helsinki Airport, the arrival of these cruise passengers also requires special arrangements: the passengers and their baggage will be transferred directly from the plane to a bus which will then take them to the port. Everything will go smoothly and quickly, in cooperation between the airline, travel agent and Finavia. In total, Pullmantur organises nine return flights.
“With this all-inclusive service, we can offer excellent travel experiences. Helsinki is a wonderful point of departure for a tour in the Baltic Sea, and we are ready to increase cruise traffic volumes via the airport,” Sundelin says.
Getting ready for 20 million passengers
The goal of Finavia's development programme of €900 million currently ongoing at Helsinki Airport is to strengthen the position of Helsinki Airport among international airports and as an important hub between Europe and Asia.
The airport expansion will make it possible to serve 20 million passengers in 2020.
