Finnish airport operator Finavia has unveiled its plans to boost international traffic at Helsinki Airport by constructing a south wing in its non-Schengen area. This will be followed by an adjacent west wing, which will create 50% more floor space at the airport.
Kari Savolainen, CEO of Finavia, said, “Travel between Europe and Asia is expected to increase swiftly within the coming years. To strengthen Helsinki Airport’s position as one of the top junctions between Europe and Asia, we need to develop our services and operations even further.”
Construction work for the south wing will begin in early 2016 with a scheduled completion date of summer 2017. This will be immediately followed by the construction of the west wing, which should be fully operational by 2020. The extensions are part of a wider €900m (US$996m) development program launched by Finavia in 2014, which will increase the airport’s annual passenger capacity to 20 million.
Ville Haapasaari, airport director for Helsinki Airport, Finavia, said, “Helsinki Airport’s biggest strengths are short layover times, friendly staff, short distances and world-class services. We will strive to hold on to these as we expand and prepare to welcome even more traffic. Finnish feel is what is unique to us, and all the development work will be done with this in mind.”