The number of passengers traveling through Finnish airports decreased by 78.9 per cent in the first half of the year compared to January-June 2020, Finavia, the airport operator, said on Wednesday. The pandemic began to affect Finland in the middle of last year.
During the first six months of this year, just over a million passengers passed through Finnish airports. Most of them – about 800,000 – passed through Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Of these, about 8.4 per cent were transfer passengers on international flights who did not leave the airport.
Its passenger numbers fell slightly more than the national average in January-June, by 79.9 per cent year-on-year.
The decline was broadly in line with the national flagship Finnair, whose passenger numbers fell by 80 per cent in the first half of the year.
Recovery slower than elsewhere in Europe
Finnish airports seem to be recovering more slowly than others in Europe, partly due to stricter travel restrictions.
According to ACI Europe, the number of passengers at European airports in the first half of this year was on average 45% lower than in 2020 and 79% lower than in 2019.
Less than a third of a million passengers traveled through Finnish regional airports in January-June 2021, which is more than 75 percent less.
During this time, the state organized a tender for scheduled flights to five domestic destinations. As a result, the new airlines started scheduled flights from Helsinki to Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kokkola-Pietarsaari, Kemi-Tornio and Kajaani in May.
Finavia is investing in Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, health and the environment
According to Finavia, own revenues decreased significantly compared to the corresponding period last year. Net sales for January-June decreased by 53.4 per cent to EUR 47.6 million.
This year, Finavia decided to focus on accelerating business recovery, securing its financial position and ensuring the well-being and future of its personnel. It also promised to invest more in mitigating climate change.
The company, known as the Civil Aviation Authority, which was known 15 years ago, continued the improvement of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, which costs a total of more than one billion euros.
This included the construction of a new main entrance to Terminal 2, new arrival and departure halls, and a travel hub connecting to other modes of transport. Improvements on the air traffic side included the renewal of taxiways and the upgrade of the stormwater drainage system. The EUR 7 million investment in environmental protection and the smooth flow of airport traffic will be completed this autumn.