AIRPORT REPORT : HELSINKI
Savolainen maintains that Helsinki is ideally placed as a stop-off between Europe and Asia , and believes that once the global economy begins to recover its location will ensure it will be one of the first to benefit .
Indeed , the silver lining for the airport in 2012 came in the form of Helsinki ’ s Asian traffic , which continued its rapid growth to 1.8 million passengers , an enviable 8.3 % rise .
This was primarily due to Finnair ’ s new direct route to the Chinese city of Chongqing . And the number of direct connections to
“ Our main role here is our hub status between Asia and Europe , which means long-haul network opportunities ,” he says . “ Sure , some low-cost carriers do serve Helsinki , but the bells and whistles we offer here doesn ’ t really suit their business model .
“ We want to be a good quality , cost-effective airport with the customer and quality service at the centre of what we offer .”
Which airports does he consider to be Helsinki ’ s greatest rivals ? “ All airports that are bridges or hubs between Europe and Asia are effectively competing with us ,” says Savolainen .
We want to be a good quality , cost effective airport with the customer and quality service at the centre of what we offer
Asia will further increase this year as Japan Airlines introduces a new service to Tokyo , and Finland ’ s national flag carrier launches routes to Xi ’ an and Hanoi in June .
Savolainen admits that Helsinki is confident that these new “ quality routes ” will be a success and should ensure that the gateway records an upturn in passenger traffic in 2013 and for the next few years .
“ We are in a very strong position to bridge between Asia and Europe ,” explains Savolainen . “ This is , economically , a growing area , and it means that when the global financial situation gets better , we will see growth immediately . In the next five years we anticipate quite good numbers for growth .”
Helsinki does not go out of its way to attract budget airlines – it is certainly not a no-frills airport – but it still has some low-cost traffic . However , Savolainen is a firm believer in long-haul transfer traffic , and thinks this will always be Helsinki ’ s main traffic driver .
“ This means Stockholm , Copenhagen and Frankfurt in Europe , the Gulf countries in the Middle East and , more recently , St Petersburg – Pulkovo in Russia , which is investing heavily .
“ Helsinki Airport ’ s importance to the Finnish economy , however , means that we have to be the winners of this competition .”
He maintains that Helsinki Airport is changing , adapting and growing by evolution , rather than revolution , and admits that this policy is likely to continue for the foreseeable future .
Talking of the future , Savolainen believes that the current gateway could handle up to 20mppa , after which the Finnish government would have to think seriously about “ revolutionary investment and infrastructure ”.
Whether this means upgrading the existing gateway or building a new one remains open to debate , but whatever the future holds , one thing remains certain , the search for quality will remain at the heart of Finavia ’ s business strategy .
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AIRPORT WORLD / APRIL-MAY 2013