FINLAND. In what airport company Finavia said is a world first, Helsinki Airport is allowing visitors to rename the airport temporarily after themselves, as part of the celebrations surrounding the opening of the upgraded Terminal 2. The refurbished, new-look terminal opened on 1 December, as reported.
The renaming after individual visitors (see videos below for how this is brought to life) comes as Helsinki Airport declared that it is dedicating its upgraded environment “to the people it most values – its passengers”. Anyone visiting the airport has the chance to name it after themselves by digitally adding their name to the official sign on the airport’s facade.
“We strongly believe that airports are, and always should be, for the passengers. Because what would they be without customers? We are beyond proud to be the first airport in the world to actually name ourselves after you, me and all of us,” said Finavia SVP of Marketing and Customer Experience Katja Siberg.
“Our giant investment programme revolves around our passengers and creating a high-standard customer experience. Smooth traffic flow, attractive services and short transfer times are significant factors in improving Helsinki Airport even further”, added Siberg.
With the T2 renewal, new shops and services such as Subway, Runway Bar, Excess Baggage and Forex have opened in the arrivals hall. They join Burger King, Helsinki Market, Espresso House and Moomin Shop. In Spring 2022, the offering will increase further with a new food court and a Plaza Premium Lounge open.
“All shops and services can be easily accessed by passengers and other visitors to the airport,” said Finavia Director of Commercial Services at Helsinki Airport Nora Immonen. “The restaurants have invested in flavours, service speed and variety. You can grab food quickly on the go or take your time enjoying it.”
During the first week there are special offers on popular brands in the Dufry-managed duty free departures stores. Highlights include -20% off Lumene products and price-offs on Fazer and Läkerols. The Moomin shop also offers a range of discounts on toys and other gift items.
Deals in other channels include breakfast, lunch and dinner discounts at Espresso House and -20% off luggage protection from the new Excess Baggage location, each in arrivals.
The new terminal extension, its wooden ceiling and the nature elements represent the best of Finland’s architecture, said Finavia. Material and decor solutions have been made to showcase Finnish and Scandinavian design.
From 1 December, passengers using T2 pass through the new departures hall to the current check-in and security control area. New facilities for check-in and state-of-the-art security control will open just before next Summer.
Passengers arriving in Finland enter the new central arrivals hall. Baggage is picked up from halls 2A and 2B until 2023, when a new central baggage claim hall will open at the airport.
“We are happy to be able to present these new and beautiful facilities to passengers. The extension of Terminal 2 has already received numerous awards, and we hope that it will make travel even smoother and more straightforward,” said Finavia Helsinki Airport Executive Director Ulla Lettijeff.
Further work on T2 will continue until completion in 2023. As well as upgrading the terminal interior, the project includes building the largest hotel in Finland in front of the terminal.
“The opening of Terminal 2 is already a big step. Upon completion, Helsinki Airport will offer a wide and comprehensive range of services that will make travel easier and more streamlined,” said Lettijeff.
Finavia’s investment programme in summary
- Terminal floor area increased by +45% (103,000sq m), corresponding to an area the size of the Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki. The total area of the terminal in the early 2020s will be more than 250,000sq m, about ten times the size of the Finnish Parliament Houses.
- More bridge gates for airplanes: eight gates for wide-body aircraft (double the current arrangement) and four gates for narrow-body aircraft (an increase of +15%)
- Luggage handling capacity increased by +50%
- Passport control capacity increased by +50%
- Renovated apron area (aircraft parking areas and taxiways) amounts to 450,000sq m.
- Expansion of parking hall P5 (3,000 parking spaces) and a new parking hall (1,800 parking spaces)
- A new multimodal travel centre that links different modes of transport.
- Finavia’s investment: €1 billion
