Helsinki Airport (HEL)
New routes and frequency possibilities and why these routes would work
| Scandinavia | ||
| Bergen | Stavanger | Aarhus |
| There exists a strong route potential from Bergen (BGO), Stavanger (SVG) and Aarhus (AAR). In addition to the O&D market, there is an even greater transfer potential using HEL hub to Asia, Russia and the Baltic region. | ||
| Europe | ||
| Nice | ||
| Nice is the second most popular city in France among Finnish tourists. Annual O&D trips to Nice from Helsinki were 65 000 of which 40 % were indirect. Furthermore, there is an excellent transfer potential to Asian destinations via Helsinki. | ||
| Athens (ATH) | ||
| Athens has been a popular destination for travelers attracting a total of 47 000 passengers, of which 50 % flew indirectly. Total passenger volume from Finland to Greece was 300 000 passengers in 2009. | ||
| Edinburgh and Glasgow | ||
| There are no direct connections from Helsinki to Edinburgh or Glasgow. The existing indirect demand is more than 20 000 passengers. | ||
| Sofia (SOF) | ||
| Sofia is one of the main unserved destinations from Helsinki with over 11 000 indirect passengers. Further to the local O&D traffic, Helsinki would provide excellent connections to Asia. | ||
| Spain | ||
| Barcelona | Malaga | Madrid |
| Spain is in the hearts of Finns. There were a total of 550 000 scheduled traffic passengers between Helsinki and- Spain in 2009. The top three destinations are Malaga (168 000) Barcelona (131 000) and Madrid (60 000). 40 % of the travelers to Barcelona and 60 % to Madrid travel indirectly to their destination indicating a demand for more direct flights on these routes. | ||
| USA | ||
| Annual market from Helsinki to USA was 314 000 passengers in 2009. The main destinations for the indirect routes are NYC, MIA, SFO and ORD. Currently HEL has only one direct connection to the US (JFK). Around 40% of the demand is from the USA and the rest from Finland. | ||
| Helsinki offers a smooth route to Eastern European and Russian markets. Helsinki is on the flight path between the US and major Russian economic centers such as St. Petersburg and Moscow. | ||
| Asia | ||
The shortest route to Asia goes via Helsinki. Kuala Lumpur is one of the new target destinations to which Helsinki would cater the smoothest connection. There were total 550 000 O&D trips made to Asia and further 35 000 tips to Oceania. The main destination is BKK with 120 000 passengers, of which 35 000 travelled indirectly. |
Asia’s business, travel and tourism is growing with leaps. There were 500,687 O&D trips made to China, Japan, South-East Asia and further to Australia. |
|
Other Major reasons to serve this airport
- Straightest route from Europe to Asia via Helsinki Airport. The Via Helsinki service concept guarantees a swift and smooth journey. www.viahelsinki.com
- HEL is the hub for Finland’s 5.3 million population and gateway to the other 24 airports in Finland. The majority of population is packed into southern Finland, so the total catchment area consists of 3.5 million inhabitants. www.locationguide.fi
- Helsinki Airport has competitive pricing http://www.finavia.fi/airlines/Terms_and_conditions_and_airport_charges
- No queuing for slots. Please visit www.online-coordination.com and www.helslot.fi for available slots.
- Third party handling services at competitive prices. There are several handling agents to choose from: http://www.finavia.fi/ground_handling_services
- Minimum connecting time in Helsinki is 35 minutes for int/int and dom/int
- Free of charge use of self service check-in kiosks
- Passenger distribution: 52% business,38% leisure,10% VFR
- Helsinki Airport has been “a green approach airport” already for years. 60% of current flights can benefit from CDA concept and the number is increasing.
- Helsinki Airport is known for the high quality and reliability of its modern services. We have been ranked at the top of the league in Europe in passenger surveys (ASQ) for 10 years running.
- Helsinki city centre is only 30 minutes from HEL: The Airport buses run every 10 minutes from early morning to late night seven days a week.
- The Helsinki area is the region in Finland which global corporations usually choose for their headquarters. Nokia, Kone, TietoEnator and Neste Oil, just to name few of them.
Marketing and other support
Helsinki Airport offers a wide range of support to airline partners:
- Growth Incentive Scheme 2010-2011
- Overall airport charges reduced by 10% since 1 September 2009
- Start-up support: For new routes (unserved airport pairs) a 3 year discount programme applicable to all carriers.
| Discounts at Helsinki Airport | ||
| Landing Charges | Passenger Charges | |
| Year 1 | 90% Discount | 70% Discount |
| Year 2 | 70% Discount | - |
| Year 3 | 50% Discount | - |
- Market information: statistics (MITD) and passenger surveys on request.
- PR support: inaugural flights and activities for press, passengers and VIPs, etc.
- Consultation in planning and realising the route marketing possibilities both in Helsinki region and Finland
- Airport Marketing: We co-operate with ClearChannel and tailor marketing support packages and web marketing.
- Reception at the gate for the inaugural flight to celebrate the new route with the airline and the first passengers
- Joint promotions
- Please check our promotion policy at http://www.finavia.fi/Marketing_Co-operation
Helsinki Region and Finland
Finavia works in close co-operation with the following organisations, which are keen to contribute to your route development and make it successful:
- Visit Finland by MEK
MEK supports tourism industry businesses and groups in developing and marketing tourism services for the international market. - Visit Helsinki
Helsinki City Tourist & Convention Bureau markets Helsinki as a travel destination and develops travel services with local businesses. It also represents Helsinki at international travel fairs and organises familiarisation tours for travel organisers and media representatives. - Greater Helsinki Promotion
A publicly funded company supporting international professionals and companies by promoting all that the region has to offer. - Invest in Finland
Invest in Finland offers a full set of professional, hands-on investment services that are always tailored according to your specific needs. The services cover every stage of setting up a business in Finland, ranging from initial data collection and opportunity analysis to networking and the actual business launch.
Catchment Area
- 3.5 million Inhabitants within 2 hours
- Access to Baltic and St. Petersburg
- St. Petersburg metropolitan area 5 million
- 28 weekly flights from LED
- Railway and bus connections to HEL (2010 high speed train)
Under-served freight opportunities and other economic impact factors
- Freight: 145,481 tons. Grand total all airports freight and mail 154,801 tons.
Please contact route development contact for further information.
Geography
- Helsinki Airport is located in the middle of traffic streams. Via Helsinki is the shortest route between Asia-Europe / India-USA and thus the fastest connections.

Infrastructure & Operations:
- Runways: 3:
- No. 1: 3440 m
- No. 2: 2900 m
- No. 3: 3000 m
- Slot Coordinated: Yes. E-mail for slot requests or visit www.helslot.fi for further information
- Operating hours: 24/7, 365 days
- In Helsinki Airport everything is under a single roof. The airport is a compact and transferring is easy and efficient. There are no terminal transfer e.g. by bus or train and the distances between gates are short.
- Min. connect time: 35 minutes for both international and domestic flights
Important infrastructure developments and/or other news
- The new terminal extension opened in 11.12.2009.
- The new terminal extension pampers customers with its luxurious via.Helsinki Wellness & Spa centre with high class meeting facilities, elegant top brand shops and restaurants.
- The extension enhances easy connections and one terminal concept.
- The extension handles 16 million passengers (an increase of 30%) and 13.5 million baggage items (an increase of 43%) per year.

Vital statistics
- Total passenger 2009: 12,611,184 (grand total all airports 16,198,978)
| International traffic | Total: 10,238,302 Scheduled: 9,086,763 Charter: 1,149,684 General aviation: 1,855 |
| Domestic traffic | 2,372,885 |
| Passenger distribution | Business: 46.0% Leisure: 40.9% VFR: 13.14% |
| Country of residence | Finland: 60% |
Source: Finavia’s air traffic statistics 2009 |
|
- Freight: 149,069 tons. Grand total all airports freight and mail 159,168 tons.
- Largest carrier: Finnair (AY)
- Further statistics http://www.finavia.fi/publications
Financials
- Airport charges: http://www.finavia.fi/Terms_and_conditions_and_airport_charges
- Annual report: http://www.finavia.fi/annualreport








