Finavia revamps travel experience at Helsinki Airport

The Finnish state-owned airport operator has announced that the current two-terminal structure will become “a thing of the past”, with both inbound and outbound flights moving under the wooden ceiling of the terminal extension opened in December 2021.

“Passengers will no longer have to think about which terminal they will depart from or arrive at. This will also make things easier for people picking up or dropping off passengers,” saidUlla Lettijeff, executive director of Helsinki Airport at Finavia.

“Travel will become easy and smooth,” she summed up.

The transition to the single-terminal structure will take place in two phases in the coming months. Air Baltic, British Airways, Finnair and other airlines from Terminal 2 will re-locate to the extension between 21 March and 23 May. Airlines from Terminal 1, such as Lufthansa, Norwegian and SAS, will start re-locating to the building on 1 June.

The process is to be completed by 30 June.

“The distance from the terminal’s main door to the nearest departure gate is just under 200 metres, which is quite short compared to many other airports around the world,” highlighted Lettijeff.

Finavia on 22 March also announced it will install state-of-the-art scanning and liquid analysis equipment to enable passengers to keep their electronics and bags of liquids in their carry-on bags when going through security control.

“Laptops, phones or large [single-lens reflex] SLR cameras, for example, no longer need to be taken out of carry-on bags or hand baggage. The plastic bags in which containers of less than a hundred millilitres of liquid must be packed can also remain inside the hand baggage,” told Henri Hansson, head of airport infrastructure, sustainability, safety and compliance at Finavia.

Service at security control will speed up due to both the doubling of capacity and the introduction of new automated lines.

As the new screening technology will be used alongside the old during an unspecified transitional period, passengers are advised to consult airport signs and staff to navigate the security control for carry-on luggage.

The changes are part of a development programme designed to deliver one of the world’s best passenger experiences at Helsinki Airport.

“Helsinki Airport celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, and, in honour of that, we can turn over a new leaf towards the airport’s future. I am confident that we will be able to serve passengers and airlines with greater comfort and ease,” said Lettijeff.