Finnish aviation firm Finavia is set to open the new entrance to the Helsinki Airport Terminal 2 (T2) and updated traffic arrangements for passengers on 1 December 2021.

As part of the T2 expansion project, the new entrance will feature a wooden ceiling.

The extension will also comprise new taxi ranks and bus station, multimodal travel centre, new parking hall and a large arrivals hall.

The multimodal urban travel centre is intended to serve as a hub for different modes of transport, to which air traffic will be connected.

Finavia technical director Henri Hansson said: “It is important that all modes of transport are seamlessly linked at the airport and that passengers can use the new travel centre to continue their journey using both local and long-distance buses, trains, taxis or private cars, not forgetting bicycles.”

Moreover, Finavia will introduce new parking arrangements with the opening of the new parking hall P1/P2, creating 1,800 new spaces.

It will also create 200 new charging stations for electric cars in the immediate vicinity of the terminal.

Additionally, the airport operator plans to open new check-in points and a security control area, as part of the T2 extension, mid-next year.

This will be followed by the completion of new baggage drop facilities and updated services in the Schengen gate area in 2023.

Finavia said the €1bn investment programme aims to strengthen Helsinki Airport’s position as a hub for air traffic between Europe and Asia.

In a press statement, Finavia said: “As Helsinki Airport has become one of the most important airports in Europe, the development of wide-body aircraft traffic and the conditions for it is one of the key goals outlined in Finavia’s investment programme.”