The challenging nature of Finnish weather conditions and increased air traffic cause wear to the runway surface, so we are renovating the pavement on runway 3 before winter. This will affect the direction of aircraft noise as well as flight schedules.
Effects on aircraft noise
The direction of aircraft noise will change and planes will be spotted in areas where they are not usually seen.
During westerly and southwesterly winds, runway 1 (22L) is used for take-offs, runway 2 (15) for landings from the Nurmijärvi direction and runway 1 (22L) for landings from the Kerava direction.
During easterly winds, runway 1 (04R) will be used for all landings, which will result in increased aircraft noise in the evening and night-time on the runway’s landing path in the Espoo and western Vantaa directions. In order to manage afternoon rushes and reduce flight delays, runway 2 (15) will be used for take-offs in the northern Helsinki direction in addition to runway 1 (04R).
Influences on flight schedules
Due to the lowered runway capacity, air traffic needs to be controlled. We kindly ask passengers to take note that this may result in delays, especially during the busiest morning and afternoon hours.
Check arrivals and departures at Helsinki Airport in real time here
Finavia and air traffic controller ANS Finland will do their best to keep the delays in minimum. We apologize any inconvenience caused.
In case of bad weather conditions, such as heavy rain, the renovations may take longer than initially planned. We will continue to update this press release when needed.