Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (IATA: HEL, ICAO: EFHK) in Vantaa, Finland, is the main airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located about 5 kilometers from the center of Vantaa, Tikkurila, and 15 kilometers from the Helsinki city centre. Originally built for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, the airport served over 12 million passengers in 2006 and it is the fourth largest airport in the Nordic countries.

The International and Domestic terminals are 250 m apart and are linked by an internal pedestrian connection both airside and landside. However, the airside parts of the terminal buildings are under one roof and that space is not divided into domestic and international but to Schengen and non-Schengen areas. The non-Schengen area is under enlargement and will be ready in 2009, allowing the airport to receive eight wide-body airplanes at the same time compared to current 5 gates (of which only 2 are suitable for Finnair's new Airbus A340).

Helsinki-Vantaa is the international and domestic hub for Finnair, the Finnish flag carrier. It is also the hub for Blue1, the Finnish regional feeder for SAS.

The Aviapolis area for international businesses is scheduled to be built in the Helsinki-Vantaa airport area. A train link, Kehärata, to Helsinki center is planned.

Helsinki-Vantaa was chosen the best airport in the world in the IATA 1999 survey on the topic. In 2006 global airport customer satisfaction survey AETRA ranked Helsinki-Vantaa one of the best airports worldwide and according to Association of European Airlines 2005 delay rates, Helsinki-Vantaa was the most punctual airport in Europe.

The managing body of the airport is Finavia.

[Source: Wikipedia]

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