On July 7 1952 the first passenger aircraft landed at Helsinki Airport

Helsinki Airport continues to grow

Helsinki Airport continues to grow Credit: Tiia Monto CC

ON July 7 1952 the first passenger aircraft landed at Helsinki Airport carrying athletes and guests to the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

​”In 70 years, Helsinki Airport has developed into a major European airport, known for its smooth operations and high level of service. There are now about 130 direct and fast flight connections to destinations all over the world,” said Ulla Lettijeff, Senior Vice President, Helsinki Airport Executive Director at Finavia.

In July 1952, Prime Minister Urho Kekkonen opened the new Helsinki Airport for the use of Olympic traffic for a month and a half. Construction work on the airport continued after the Olympics and air traffic at Helsinki Airport officially started on October 26 1952.

Helsinki Airport 70 years ago
Helsinki Airport 70 years ago
Credit: Finavia

At first, only one runway was available. The first airport building was a wooden barrack, which was extended over the years and was called a recumbent skyscraper because of its shape. A new terminal, which was constructed for one million passengers, was completed in 1969.

Today, the Helsinki Airport terminal covers a total of more than 200,000 square metres and has capacity for 30 million passengers. There are three runways at the airport the entire airport area is 1,800 hectares, which is the same area as the city centre of Helsinki.

“Helsinki Airport was one of the first airports in the world to achieve carbon neutrality five years ago, but that’s not enough. Our climate work continues. Next, we are aiming for net zero emissions,” explained Lettijeff.

During the 70th anniversary of Helsinki Airport, Finavia will highlight the history and development of the airport on its website and on social media channels with no doubt continued use of the airport for holidaymakers travelling to the Costa del Sol and other Spanish destinations.

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