Helsinki - Flights

Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (HEL)
Tel: 0200 14636.
Website: www.helsinki-vantaa.fi

Helsinki-Vantaa airport, with two linked terminals for national and international traffic, is located at Vantaa, 19km (11.5 miles) from the city centre.

Approximate flight times to Helsinki: From London is 2 hours 55 minutes; from New York is 7 hours; from Los Angeles is 16 hours; from Toronto is 8 hours 40 minutes and from Sydney is 27 hours 30 minutes.

Airport facilities: These include duty-free shops and boutiques, restaurants, bars, R-kioski (newsagents), bureaux de change, a bank, automatic exchange machine, ATMs, travel agencies, tourist information and car hire from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. The new Hilton Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Hotel (tel: (09) 73220; website: www1.hilton.com) opened in 2007 and is the only hotel to offer direct access to the airport's international terminal, via a 100m (328ft) covered walkway.

Business facilities: Wi-Fi Internet access is available throughout the terminals. In addition, there are several Internet kiosks at the airport and five worktops with Internet access at the Go!Café in the international terminal. There is a VIP Centre with three rooms, each capable of accommodating up to 10 people, in the international terminal. A conference room seating up to 30 people is available in the domestic terminal. The Helsinki Airport Congress Centre (tel: 02076 29732), has rooms and halls that are able to hold up to 140, all with AV equipment and Internet connections. Below the congress centre there are three meeting rooms, seating up to eight people, on the service floor in the international terminal.

Transport to the city: Buses 415, 451 and 615 (see Getting Around) go to Rautatientori (Railway Square) every 20 to 30 minutes (journey time - 35 minutes). A Finnair bus (tel: (09) 4157 5100) stops at the Scandic Continental bus stop, terminating at the railway station. Buses run to meet all flights. Taxi stands are located outside the arrivals hall of both terminals and the taxi journey into the city centre takes just under half an hour. Shared taxis, operated by Yellow Line (tel: 0600 555 555; website: www.airporttaxi.fi), are cheaper than standard taxis.