Anyone who is at the airport with their dog often encounters a problem: where to take the four-legged friend when they need to pee? Helsinki Airport offers a solution.
In Finland, animals now have a quiet place. The airport operator Finavia has created two sets of toilets for animals at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
A Finavia spokeswoman said that this is also a response to inquiries from passengers as to where their pets can best be taken to the grounds to relieve themselves. The Finns' answer: a toilet room in the part where flights out of the Schengen area take off and another in front of the departure hall.
"Areas where pets can relieve themselves are still quite rare in northern European airports," the spokeswoman said. The idea is not entirely new, however. In the USA, for example, such places are prescribed so that service animals of passengers - including guide dogs, for example - can relieve themselves.
First the Finnish radio station Yle had reported about the new toilets. According to information from the broadcaster, there are more than 10,000 dogs coming with the travelers to the Helsinki Airport every year.