Inside Europe’s best airport with fewer liquid restrictions, kid’s attractions and £20 flights from the UK
AN airport just a few hours from the UK has been named the best in Europe – and you can find flights for as little as £20.
Helsinki Airport is the gateway connecting the UK to Finland, as well as other destinations across Asia.
And the airport was named the best large airport in Europe for customer service in the ASQ Award, which analysed 400 airports across 95 countries.
Kimmo Mäki, CEO of airport company Finavia, said: “We are extremely grateful for this award and proud that our work for a first-class customer experience is recognised internationally.
“We have succeeded in raising the level of customer satisfaction at Helsinki Airport over the long term, and the ASQ survey result for 2023 is the best in the airport’s history.”
It’s not the only award it has won in recent years.
It was also named one of the best airports in the world for business travellers.
Previous passengers have raved about it, with one saying it was like “stepping into a fully kitted IKEA showroom”.
Another wrote: “One of the best airports I ever been. Other capital airports can only wish to be like this one.”
A third agreed: “It’s the best airport I have ever seen in Europe. It’s clean, modern, and peaceful.”
Last year, the airport underwent a huge 10-year renovation too.
This included a new departures hall, with improved check-in desks, bag drop, security and currency exchange booths.
Security improvements also scrapped the need for 100ml restrictions as well as the need to remove liquid and electronics from bags.
Passengers can now carry up to two litres of liquids through security.
New shops included Finnish brands such as Moomins, Marimekko, Balmuir, Iittala, Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, Alepa, and Relove.
And new cafes, restaurants and lounges opened, with two food courts also – one at arrivals and one between gates 22 and 26.
This includes Burger King and Subway, as well as cuisines including Japanese, Italian and Nordic.
Two new parking halls – P1 Premium and P2 opened with direct access to the terminals, along with a new short-erm parking area in front of arrivals.
Passengers travelling through can make the most of free art installations, ‘quiet’ rooms and working pods with chargers and WiFi.
Families can even visit the two free play areas for kids as well as pet relief areas.
There are three airport hotels to choose from too – Hilton Helsinki, Scandic Helsinki and GLO Airport.
Brits can fly direct to the airport with the cheapest airline being Ryanair, with £20 one-way flights.
Other airlines with direct flights including Finnish flag carrier Finnair, as well as Norwegian, easyJet, TUI and British Airways.
Here are a few other airports hoping to open elsewhere in the world
King Salman International Airport, Saudi Arabia
Hoping to open by 2030, the new airport in Riyadh hopes to be the biggest in the world.
It will not only have six runways but estimates as many as 120million passengers will travel through a year.
This would increase to 185million passengers by 2050.
Warsaw Solidarity Airport, Poland
The new £7billion airport in Poland hopes to become a major airport in Europe, with plans to open by 2028.
It will also have it’s own train station connecting to major cities in the country.
As many as 40 million passengers are expected to travel through by 2035, increasing to 65million by 2060 following new runways and terminal extensions.
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