Helsinki-Vantaa International Flights Terminal expansion offers improved efficiency and room for growth for Finnair's Asian traffic

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport's importance as an internationally respected gateway for transit traffic between Asia and Europe will grow further with the expansion of the International Flights Terminal, which will be taken into use on 31 August 2004. The new area will serve Finnair's Asian flight passengers, whose numbers have grown rapidly in recent years.

More than 25 million flight journeys are made between Europe and Asia each year. Asia is the fastest growing market for air travel in the world. A key element of Finnair's strategy is expansion of its Asian traffic, which has, in fact, more than doubled in the last two years.

"For Finnair, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is a good and high quality home base. The terminal expansion will ensure it  operates efficiently in future, too, providing our company with the setting it needs to further increase the number of Asian flights. At the same time, we will also be able to offer efficient onward connections from Helsinki," says Finnair President and CEO Keijo Suila.

In line with its route strategy, Finnair will increase its number of Asian flights over the long term and will open new destinations in the region. The next goal is to increase the number of flights to the present Asian destinations.

Finnair currently flies daily to Beijing and Bangkok, five times a week to Shanghai and Osaka, four times to Singapore, three times to Hong Kong and twice to Tokyo.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is particularly busy in the evenings when most of the Asian flights arrive and depart. The terminal expansion will ease the movement of passengers and facilitate transferring to connecting flights. The more spacious facilities will also enhance passenger comfort within the terminal. Finnair is to open a new spacious long-haul traffic lounge for frequent flyers and long haul business class passengers on 1 September 2004.