Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) Information

(Helsinki, Uusimaa, Southern Finland, Finland)

The Helsinki Vantaa Airport is the larger of the two facilities serving Finland's national capital. This airport (HEL) is named after the community where it is situated. The city's original airport, Malmi, is now primarily a general aviation facility, with most air passengers currently entering Finland via Helsinki Vantaa.

Nearly 15 million passengers are now using this airport, which was originally constructed for the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics. Today, this is Scandinavia's fourth-biggest and it is ranked among Europe's most punctual.

An enclosed walkway connects the recently expanded Terminal 2 - which handles all of the international flights, with Terminal 1, the domestic terminal. The Helsinki Vantaa is situated close to the Finnish Aviation Museum, the Aviapolis international business park and numerous hotels.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL)

Address: Lentajantie / Ilmakeha / Flygstationsvagen, FIN-01531, Vantaa, Finland
Tel: +358 20 708 000
Tikkurila, the Vantaa neighbourhood containing the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is only 15 km / 9 miles north of the Finnish capital. This serves as the principal hub for the airlines of Finnair, Blue1, Air Finland, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Flybe Nordic.

Helsinki Airport Guide

Facilities:

• Adjacent to the Aviapolis international business park
• Three information desks
• Shopping areas in both terminals
• Two cafés open 24 hours
• Avis, Budget, Sixt, Europcar and Hertz car hire service desks at Arrivals hall 2
• Numerous eating facilities, including the Restaurant & Deli Fly Inn at Gate 27, and Cesar's Pizza & Food Court on the Service Floor
• ATMs and two banks
• Currency exchange counters in Terminal 2
• A nine-room congress centre and Internet kiosks in Terminal 2
• Four VIP lounges
• Handicapped parking bays in front of both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2

Cars

Highway 45 and the Keha III Airport Road link Helsinki to its airport, with the drive taking around 30 minutes. Car hire is a convenient way to travel, yet city centre traffic can become congested in rush hours and icy winter roads present a hazard.

Book your Helsinki Car Rental here.

Buses

The busier of Helsinki Vantaa's two bus stops is the one sited outside of the International Terminal. Three regular Helsinki Regional Transport Authority buses make the 40-minute journey to the city centre, with services also serving Espoo, Tuusula and Vantaa. Worth noting, Finnair offers a private coach service from the airport for its own passengers.

Trains

There is no railway station based onsite. It takes between 30 and 55 minutes to reach the Helsingin Rautatieasema (the city's central rail station) by bus or car from the Helsinki Vantaa Airport. Rautatieasema passengers can board trains headed for St. Petersburg, Moscow or numerous Finnish destinations. Another regional rail station, Pasila, links to several city bus and tram lines.

Taxis and Limos

Terminals 1 and 2 both contain Airport Taxi Yellow Line desks and taxi ranks. These taxis accept debit cards, credit cards or cash payments and take roughly half an hour to reach Helsinki city centre. Taxi pooling is a popular way to reduce taxi fees, although the Airport Taxi Yellow Line company also features limousine services for those passengers with money to spare.

Ferries

There are no ferry services directly at the airport. However, there are five ferry terminals within the city's three bustling harbours. Ferries regularly depart from Helsinki to Stockholm (Sweden), Tallinn (Estonia), St. Petersburg (Russia), Gdynia (Poland) and the two German cities of Travemünde and Rostock.