FINLAND. Finavia has brought forward a major renovation of the departures area at Helsinki Airport Terminal 2, which will run until 2023. Part of the departures lounge and some facilities will close on 18 January to allow work to begin.
The renovation across 35,000sq m of space is part of the €1 billion Helsinki Airport development programme and the extension of Terminal 2. It will see a revamp of the existing departure lounge and arrivals hall and integrate both with the gate area and centralised baggage claim hall.
A new main entrance to T2 will open in 2022. Overall, the T2 floor area will increase by +45% to 250,000sq m by 2024.
“We are able to start the renovation work one year in advance, as the number of passengers and flights has decreased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this way, passengers will also be able to enjoy the new facilities earlier than planned,” said Finavia Project Manager Tuomo Lindstedt.
In related news, Helsinki Airport passenger traffic fell by -77% year-on-year in 2020 to 5 million (4 million international). Passenger volumes were previously only at these levels in the 1980s.
Airports in the wider Finavia network served 6.4 million passengers in 2020, down by -75% or around 20 million compared to 2019.
At regional airports, the number of passengers decreased by -68% to around 1.3 million. Direct international flights to many regional airports were suspended, reducing the share of international passengers by -72% to 334,650.
Finavia Vice President of Sales and Route Development Petri Vuori said: “2020 was an exceptional year for air travel following the collapse in passenger numbers, and the situation is not yet improving. However, we strongly believe that travel will improve again once the COVID-19 situation is under control globally. In this situation, we will focus on ensuring safe and smooth travel and completing the Helsinki Airport investment programme.”
