Whether you’re a first timer or a frequent flyer, departing or on a layover, make sure you save some time to take in the following features unique to the airport.
1. 48-year-old parquet
The parquet of Terminal 2 dates back to 1969. Its iconic patchy design is made from a special material developed by the Finnish solutions company Neste, and has since been discontinued. Unfortunately, much of the parquet has now been replaced. Whereas in 1997 there were 12,500 square meters of it, today only 5,100 square meters remain.
2. Junkers A50 Junior
A piece of Finnish aviation history hangs from the ceiling in Terminal 2. The Junkers A50 Junior is a small sports plane and one of 50 ever made of its kind. Väinö Bremer acquired the two-seater in the early 1930s and in 1933 he flew around the world in the plane he had nicknamed Junnu.
3. Bird noises in the bathroom
Yes, you read that correctly. In 2011, Finavia installed an unusual but, according to audio experts “cognitively stimulating” soundtrack into the bathrooms of Helsinki Airport. Stars of the show include blackbirds, song thrushes, marsh warblers, Blyth’s warblers, robins and willow warblers.
4. Tapio Café
Named after the spirit of the woods who features in the Finnish 19th century epic Kalevala, Tapio Café epitomizes Finland in every way possible. From the material of the chairs to the food, everything you experience at Tapio Café is locally designed, produced and sourced. Try the reindeer meatballs.
5. GoSleep sleeping pods
The first of its kind at a European airport, the Finnish innovation allows passengers to doze off during long layovers. In exchange for a small fee, the pod offers passengers a secure storage space for hand luggage and grants the sleepy-eyed with a fully enclosed space in which to nap away. The pods can be found in Terminal 2 next to Gate 31.
