Construction work began today (January 4) on the southern expansion of the main terminal building at Helsinki Airport in Finland.
The expansion is part of a €900m (US$980m) airport development program which will be completed in two phases. The first phase starting today will provide an additional 84,500ft² in terminal space with separate floors for passenger arrivals and departures. There will also be additional parking stands for aircraft leading to shorter turnaround times. Completion of the southern extension is scheduled for summer 2017.
Once the first phase has been completed, work will begin on the western expansion phase of the project, which will allow Helsinki to cater for up to 20 million passengers annually by 2020. When completed, both phases will almost double the floor area of the terminal resulting in approximately 807,000ft² of extra space.
Ville Haapasaari, airport director for Finavia, the airport operator, said, “Even though the most visible part of the investment is the development of infrastructure, our success as a world-class airport is based on customer experience.
“We will do our best to avoid causing inconvenience to passengers and carriers during the construction. However, the work may result in some discomfort and lack of space.
“An internationally competitive airport is important for the wellbeing of Finland as a whole. It helps the country maintain good flight connections for Finns to all destinations around the world, and it will create thousands of new jobs.”
Image courtesy of Finavia