Vantaa Airport (Helsinki). A bit more than just an airport

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, which is neighboring with the Russian Federation, lovingly calls on its territory not only the Finns themselves, but travelers from all corners of the globe. The cozy streets, shady green parks and the friendly attitude of the local residents impress everyone who first came here. Russian tourists here are treated like brothers. For more than a century, Finland was part of the Russian Empire, beginning in 1808, when Emperor Alexander the First announced the conquest of this land. Every year more and more of our compatriots visit the country. Someone comes to New Year's holidays, someone - just walk around the capital, and for someone Helsinki - just the beginning of the cruise. Almost in all cases, the paths of each of the tourists are here - to the International Airport Vantaa (Helsinki).

Sputnik of the capital

The capital of Finland is growing every decade. Almost a dozen of its satellite cities are already in Helsinki. The largest of them are Espoo and Vantaa. The latter is located not far from the Gulf of Finland in the province of Uusimaa. It is based on the river of the same name and is the fourth largest city in Finland. Vantaa is famous mainly for the fact that the largest air gates of the country are located here: Vantaa International Airport (Helsinki). The city has a large number of business parks, the leading Scandinavian hotel chains open their apartments to guests in the immediate vicinity of the airport. The small distance from the airport and the minimal time for the transfer attracts large companies to this area for lectures and seminars, as well as for locating their branches here. On the way to Vantaa airport you can find neon lights of such world brands as Valio, Onninen, Alfa Laval-Finkoyl, Finair, Uporor and many others.

History

The first runway of the airfield was opened in 1952, and after only four years - the second. In the same 1956, Vantaa Airport (Helsinki) made a huge step forward to ensure flight safety by establishing a radar control system for aircraft. In 1969, the first commercial passenger flight was sent from the new terminal. Four years later, the airline security service and pre-flight inspections of international flights. In 1984 the passenger terminal was decided to expand, and it was supposed to be done without stopping its functioning. Three years later the reconstruction was completed, and the airport reached a new level in terms of the number of passengers accepted and the quality of their service.

Further development

In 1993, a new terminal was opened to service domestic flights. Three years later the terminals were connected by a special closed pedestrian crossing. In the same year, the hotel and the congress center were opened at the entrance to Vantaa Airport. Parking for private passenger cars has been expanded. A new gallery of shops became available to aviaturists. A year later, in 1997, they opened a VIP-hall for the reception of official governmental and presidential delegations. In the same year, the airport was first recognized as the best in the world. Two years later, they opened new arrival and departure halls in the international terminal. In 2001, new points of passport control began to work. The tax refund to passengers became possible not only after, but before registration. In 2002, the third runway opens. All these events allowed the airport to bring passenger traffic to the values of more than 10 million people a year.

A new era

2009 was a year of change. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport has completely rebuilt the domestic terminal of T1. Construction work in the arrival hall, luggage area, with check-in desks was completed by the end of the year. Passengers became available to new shops and more convenient counters of car rental outlets. In the international terminal, the aerodrome improved the existing passenger service system and built a new luggage center. The scoreboard of the Vantaa airport was partially modernized, replacing part of the electronics with a more modern one.

By train

To unload the bus shuttle service to the city, it was decided to build a direct railway connection from Helsinki. The branch was supposed to be opened in September 2012, however, due to a number of technical problems, a revision of the project was required. The first train with passengers left Vantaa airport on July 1, 2015, heading for the Central Station of the capital.

To Europe

In the conditions of economic crisis and currency instability people successfully learn to save. Flights to Europe from the territory of Russia are becoming more expensive every month. The situation is worsened by the constant growth of the dollar and euro. Low-cost airlines offer suitable conditions only for people traveling alone and without luggage. For family tourists, the cost of a ticket with all surcharges for standard amenities, as a rule, is not much cheaper than the tariffs of famous air carriers. The totality of these factors forced Russian tourists to go for a trick. They drive their own car to Finland, leave the car in a parking lot, and fly to Europe through the intermediation of European companies at low prices. If you go the whole family, then this transfer is much more profitable than direct flight. Parking at the airport Vantaa (Helsinki) for 18 days will cost 52 euros. Flight Helsinki-Barcelona, for example, at the peak of the season - about 30-60 euros per person. The benefit speaks for itself. For those who do not want to cover the distance to North Palmira from the capital behind the wheel independently, RZD offers a service for transportation of personal vehicles. That is, you travel on a train along with your car. And upon arrival, only five or six hours' drive to Helsinki will be left.