Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) Information
(Vantaa, Uusimaa, Southern Finland, Finland)
Finland's busiest international gateway is the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Found to the north of Finland's capital, the airport was originally constructed to cope with passenger traffic resulting from the Helsinki Olympic Games. Catering for approximately 15 million people every year, this is now one of the largest international air facilities in the Nordic region.
There are three lengthy runways in operation. The longest runway is more than 3,400 metres / 11,155 feet in length and is capable of handling the world's biggest passenger airliners. Two terminals operate at Helsinki's airport. One is set aside for flights to Schengen destinations, while the other caters for non-Schengen flights.
Finnair, Air Finland, Blue1, Flybe Nordic and Norwegian Air Shuttle are all based here, with Finnair using this facility as its base hub. Both chartered and scheduled flights are offered from the terminals and connect the Finnish capital to almost every continent around the globe.
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL)
Address: Lentajantie / Ilmakeha / Flygstationsvagen, FIN-01531, Vantaa, Finland
Tel: +358 20 708 000
The Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is located 9 km / 6 miles to the north-west of the Finnish capital's central district. Just 2 km / 1 mile east of the facility is Vantaa. Vespoo, 20 km / 13 miles to the west of Vantaa, can be reached via the E18 (Kelha III / Ala-Tikkurilantie) from the grounds.
Helsinki Airport Guide
Facilities:
- Salon on the service floor
- Currency exchange services across both terminals
- Passengers lounges, including the SAS Lounge at Gate 13
- Shopping services, including an Angry Birds shop and an Airport Shop
- Café Delight, Café Alvar and the Jungle Juice Bar are some of the food centres in the terminals
- Between Terminals 1 and 2 are the car rental desks, including those of Sixt, Hertz, Budget and Avis
- Abundance of parking spaces and a parking service centre between both terminals
- A hotel next to Terminal 2
- Travel agencies on the service floor
Cars
Travel by car is a popular means of getting to and from the airport. From the city centre, take Highway 45 north until the E18 turnoff. Motorists can choose to continue along Highway 45 or turn left onto the E18 to reach the terminals. From Vantaa, the airport is just a matter of minutes away by car. Visitors are advised to take the E18 until exit 43, before turning right onto Highway 135.
Buses
Tel: +358 200 4000
Plenty of different bus services make stops at the terminals. Bus 615 travels into the centre of
Helsinki every 15 minutes, with this particular journey generally taking in the region of 40 minutes. Buses 519 and 520 connect the airport to the Finnish capital's eastern suburbs, while the Finnair City Bus makes connections to Helsinki city centre every 20 minutes or so.
Taxis
Tel: +358 100 4800 / +358 600 555 555
Taxi ranks are situated directly outside the terminals. Travelling into the centre of the city by taxi cab usually takes about 30 minutes, but this is dependent on traffic conditions. Travelling by taxi is the easiest way to get into Vantaa. Fixed fare and shared rides, as well as metered taxis, are available through operators such as Airport Taxi Helsinki-Vantaa and Airport Taxi Yellow Line.
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