LONDON – According to Finland airport company Finavia’s latest annual statistics on air traffic, 15.4 million passengers passed through its airports last year. A new record was set in Christmas flights to Lapland, and Helsinki Airport’s European flights have recovered well.
“We are actively working with airlines and tourism organisations to strengthen flight connections. In 2022, Finland had 130 direct flight destinations around the world.”
“Last year, the number of passengers increased especially on European flights,” says Petri Vuori, airport company Finavia’s Senior Vice President, Sales and Route Development.
A total of 15,405,024 passengers travelled through Finavia’s airports in 2022. Of these, 78% took an international flight and 22% a domestic one. The number of passengers increased by 187% compared to last year.
The total number of flight operations, i.e. takeoffs and landings, at Finavia’s airports was 167,409, which is 83% more than in the previous year.
The most popular flight destinations from Finavia’s airports were Stockholm, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Copenhagen. Of all the international flights, the largest number of passengers was on the flights to Germany, Spain, Sweden, the UK and France.
Helsinki Airport’s European flight connections have recovered well
In 2022, Helsinki Airport had a total of 12.9 million passengers, 87% of whom were international passengers and 13% domestic passengers. Flight connections to Europe and the United States have recovered excellently.
However, the share of transfer travelling between Asia and Europe remained small, as a result of which only about 70% of the travelling at Helsinki Airport returned compared to the period before the pandemic.
Lapland’s airports hit a new record in December
In December, a passenger record was broken at Lapland’s airports. A total of 364,834 passengers travelled through Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Ivalo, Kuusamo and Kemi-Tornio airports in December 2022.
At Rovaniemi Airport alone, the number of Christmas passengers increased by 40% (158,757 passengers) and at Kittilä Airport by 13% (101,868).
Altogether, 1.2 million passengers travelled through Lapland’s airports in 2022, representing a year-on-year increase of 93%.
“Already about half of the flights to Lapland are scheduled flights. Regular scheduled flights are very important for the region’s appeal, residents and livelihoods.”
“They attract passengers from a wider area than the city of departure, thanks to their comprehensive connecting flights,” says Petri Vuori.
A total of 2.5 million people travelled through the regional network airports, which is 126% more than last year.
Recent awards 2022
Finavia and its new Helsinki Airport terminal received several awards in 2022. We have compiled a list of awards for 2022. Notable amongst a raft of awards were:
SkyTrax: Best Airport in Northern Europe
Passengers selected Helsinki Airport as the best airport in Northern Europe in SkyTrax’s international service survey. The award was presented to Finavia at the Passenger Terminal event in Paris in June 2022.
The award was given for a good customer experience, for which Finavia employees work whole-heartedly. In particular, Finavia employees responsible for passenger services work in the terminal and meet passengers on a daily basis.
Puuinfo: 2022 Wood Award
Helsinki Airport’s beautiful wooden ceiling was awarded the year’s Wood Award. The ceiling, made of Finnish spruce, creates a peaceful atmosphere for the bustling airport.
Prix Versailles 2022: Award for architecture and design
The new terminal at Helsinki Airport, built by Finavia, was granted an award in the internationally prestigious Prix Versailles 2022 architecture and design competition in Paris.
