Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the neighboring state of the Russian Federation, affably invites to its territory not only the Finns themselves, but also travelers from all over the globe. Cozy streets, shady green parks and friendly attitude of local residents impress everyone who is here for the first time. Russian tourists here are treated like brothers. For more than a century, Finland was part of the Russian Empire, starting in 1808, when Emperor Alexander the First announced the conquest of this land. Every year more and more of our compatriots visit the country. Someone comes for the New Year holidays, someone just walks around the capital, and for someone Helsinki is just the beginning of the cruise. In almost all cases, the paths of each of the vacationers lead here - to Vantaa International Airport (Helsinki).
Satellite of the capital
The capital of Finland is growing every decade. Greater Helsinki already includes almost a dozen of its satellite cities. The largest of them are Espoo and Vantaa. Lastis located near the Gulf of Finland in the province of Uusimaa. It is based on the river of the same name and is the fourth largest city in Finland. Vantaa is famous mainly for the fact that the largest air gates of the country are located here: Vantaa International Airport (Helsinki). A large number of business parks have been built in the city, leading Scandinavian hotel chains open their apartments to guests in the immediate vicinity of the airport. The small distance from the airport and the minimum transfer time attract large companies to this area both for holding lectures and seminars, and for locating their branches here. On the way to Vantaa Airport, you can see the neon lights of such world brands as Valio, Onninen, Alfa Laval-Fincoil, Finair, Uponor and many others.
History
The first runway of the airfield was opened in 1952, and only four years later - the second. In the same 1956, Vantaa Airport (Helsinki) made a huge step forward in ensuring flight safety by installing a radar control system for aircraft. In 1969, the first commercial passenger flight departed from the new terminal. Four years later, the airline launched a security service and pre-flight inspections of international flights. In 1984, it was decided to expand the passenger terminal, and it was supposed to do this without stopping its operation. Three years later, the reconstruction was completed, and the airport reached a new level inthe number of passengers accepted and the quality of their service.
Further development
In 1993, a new terminal was opened to serve domestic flights. Three years later, the terminals were connected by a special closed pedestrian crossing. In the same year, a hotel and congress center was opened at the entrance to Vantaa Airport. The parking area for private cars of passengers has been expanded. A new gallery of shops became available to air tourists. A year later, in 1997, a VIP hall was opened to receive official government and presidential delegations. In the same year, the airport was recognized as the best in the world for the first time. Two years later, new arrivals and departures halls were opened in the international terminal. In 2001, new passport control points were launched. It became possible for passengers to issue a tax refund (tax free) not only after, but also before check-in. In 2002, the third runway opens. All these activities have allowed the airport to increase the passenger flow to more than 10 million people a year.
New era
2009 was a year of change. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport has completely rebuilt the T1 domestic terminal. Construction work in the arrivals hall, baggage area, with check-in counters was completed by the end of the year. Passengers have access to new shops and more convenient car rental counters. At the airport's international terminal, the existing passenger service system was improved and a new baggage center was built. Vantaa airport scoreboard partiallymodernized, replacing part of the electronics with a more modern one.
By train
To unload the bus shuttle service with the city, it was decided to build a direct rail link from Helsinki. The branch was supposed to open in September 2012, however, due to a number of technical problems, a revision of the project was required. The first train with passengers left Vantaa Airport on July 1, 2015, heading to the Central Station of the capital.
To Europe
In the context of the economic crisis and currency instability, people are successfully learning to save. Flights to Europe from Russia are getting more expensive every month. The situation is aggravated by the constant growth of the dollar and the euro. Low-cost airlines offer suitable conditions only for people traveling alone and without luggage. For family tourists, the cost of a ticket with all surcharges for standard amenities, as a rule, is not much cheaper than the fares of well-known air carriers. The combination of these factors forced Russian tourists to go to the trick. They get to Finland by their own car, leave the car in the parking lot, and fly to Europe through the mediation of European companies at low prices. If you travel with the whole family, then such a transfer is much more profitable than a direct flight. Parking at Vantaa Airport (Helsinki) for 18 days will cost 52 euros. Flight Helsinki-Barcelona, for example, in the peak season - about 30-60 euros per person. The benefit speaks for itself. For those who do not wish to cover the distance to NorthDriving from Palmyra from the capital on your own, Russian Railways offers a service for the transportation of personal vehicles. That is, you go on a train journey with your car. And upon arrival, there will be only five or six hours drive to Helsinki.
