The number of passengers at Helsinki Airport grew by 18 per cent in the first half of this year. There were 7.3 million passengers between January-June, which is a new record.
- It is gratifying that after several years of modest decline, domestic traffic is also picking up. The growth of European and Asian traffic is also continuing, and the popularity of Helsinki Airport as a smooth and pleasant
European transit point increases, says Vice President Kimmo Ruotsalainen of Finavia Corporation, the Finnish airport operator. International passengers totalled 5.9 million (an increase of over 17.5%) and domestic traffic reached 1.4 million passengers (an increase of over 20%). The share of international transit passenger traffic came to 1.2 million (an increase of more than 16.4%).
According to Ruotsalainen, the general growth in travel demand, and the significant increase in supply, have contributed to these positive developments.
This spring, two new companies started operating at Helsinki Airport: American Airlines to Chicago and Belavia to Minsk. At the same time, several other airlines opened up new routes and increased the frequency of their flights significantly.
For example, Norwegian increased its flight offering in the late spring, which reflects particularly on the increase in domestic traffic. Travel on the Helsinki-Oulu route grew 54.8% in June while Helsinki-Rovaniemi route saw an increase of 46.5%. In addition to domestic routes, Norwegian also operates 11 international routes.
Helsinki Airport strengthens its position as the leading long-haul airport in Northern Europe. Following the opening of two new daily routes to Singapore at the end of May, there are now over ten direct routes to Asian destinations. A record of 74 departures are being operated to these destinations every week. Finnair's new Chongqing route is expected to generate additional traffic in the summer 2012.
The most frequently travelled Asian destinations are still Thailand and Japan. The number of passengers to Asian destinations grew most to Seoul in South Korea (+ 45%). There are already 130 direct flights from Helsinki Airport to destinations around the world.
Additional Information:
Marketing Manager Timo Järvelä
+358 20 708 2357
timo.jarvela@finavia.fi