Vantaa Airport will offer passengers a single terminal common to all departures. All security checks lead to one common transit area.

The transit area itself is further divided into a Schengen area and a non-Schengen area.

• Schengen area - open to all passengers, departure gates 1-36
• Non-Schengen area - accessible only after passport control to passengers of the flights concerned, departure gates 40-55

Find a hotel near Helsinki Airport terminal

Thanks to the architectural design of the terminal in the shape of the letter "A", the distances from the car parks and public transport stations to the aircraft are very short.

Please note that there is very limited seating outside the restaurants in the departure gate area.

Security and immigration control - times

Please be aware that especially in the morning between 5:00 and 7:00 there can be very long queues for security check, which can last more than 45 minutes!

On the other hand, queues for passport control for both departures and arrivals tend to be short, typically 5-15 minutes.

Airport map

An interactive map of the entire airport and each terminal can be found on the airport's official website: hel-map.finavia.fi.

Transfer between flights

Thanks to Finnair, Helsinki Airport is an important connecting point for flights between Europe, Asia and North America, as well as for travel to Finnish regions or the Baltic States.

With only one terminal, the airport makes transfers quick and easy. Orientation is very clear and distances are short.

If you do not have a boarding pass for a connecting flight, you can print one at the transfer desk or at one of the automated kiosks located throughout the transit area.

Schengen <-> Schengen

You do not go through any checks when transferring within the Schengen area and on domestic Finnish flights.

When you get off the plane, you're straight into the departure transit zone, where you just need to search for the departure gate of the connecting flight on the screen.

• Average transfer time - 5 to 10 minutes
• Security check - no
• Passport control - no
• Transfer baggage - will be automatically transferred

Schengen -> Non-Schengen

If you are connecting from a Schengen country to a flight outside Europe, you will disembark at a "Schengen" departure gate. Follow the signs to your gate, which will always be in the western part of the airport after passing through passport control.

Queues for this check are usually very short (up to 15 minutes) or none at all if you have a European passport.

• Average transfer time - 15 to 35 minutes
• Security check - no
• Passport control - yes
• Baggage on transfer - will be automatically transferred

Non-Schengen -> Schengen

If you are connecting from a country outside Europe to a flight into the Schengen area, the procedures vary slightly depending on where you are coming from.

You will exit the plane into the arrivals corridor, from which you can either walk out into Helsinki or through passport control straight to the departure gates.

• Average transfer time - 25 to 50 minutes
• Security check
  • No - for arrivals from the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, USA, Canada and Singapore
  • Yes - for arrivals from all other non-Schengen countries
• Passport control - yes
• Baggage on transfer - will be automatically transferred

Overnight stay at the airport, opening hours

The airport is open 24/7, however security usually closes immediately after the last departure and does not open until approximately 3 hours before the first morning departure.

However, if you have an overnight change in Helsinki, you can stay in the transit area all night without going out.

The public section completely lacks any seats or comfortable places to sleep.

There are a few comfortable seats without backrests in the transit area, but they are already fully occupied around 21:00.

Helsinki is not one of the good airports for overnight stays right in the terminal, so we recommend using one of the many hotels in close proximity to the airport.