<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History of Helsinki International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The planning of a new airport for Helsinki began in the 1940s, when it became obvious that the Helsinki-Malmi Airport could not handle the increasing number of passengers or the new, heavier aircraft. A new site was found some 20 km (12 mi) from Helsinki city centre, in an area that today belongs to the city of Vantaa (until 1971 Vantaa was called Helsingin maalaiskunta). Some of the construction work was done by prison laborers. The airport opened temporarily in July 1952 for that year's Summer Olympics, held in Helsinki.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In the beginning of 2015, the renovation and construction work related to the development of Helsinki Airport started. For example, the Baggage Claim Hall 2B and Arrival Hall 2A were renovated and in July 2015, train operation on the Ring Rail Line and connection to Helsinki Central Railway Station were opened. In March 2015, Swiss International Air Lines started operations to Helsinki but canceled it a year later. In late 2015, Blue1 ceased all operations from Helsinki which was the airline's only base. The airline flew to 28 destinations in Europe. A free-of-charge film theatre named Airport Cinema was opened near gate 33 in November 2018. A new terminal expansion was opened in 2012. The terminals 1 and 2 were combined on 21 June 2022 so that all flights are now operated from a single terminal.</p>
<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-left">Ground Transportation from Helsinki International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The airport is located in the immediate vicinity of Ring III and Finnish national road 45. The railway running beneath the airport in a tunnel is connected to the Helsinki commuter rail.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Rail: </strong> The railway link to the airport opened for traffic in July 2015 and serves local commuter trains running at 10-minute intervals during peak periods. On evenings the train run every 15 minutes and at quieter times every 30 minutes. The railway is trafficked by low-floor Stadler FLIRT trains, operated by the VR Group.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Taxi: </strong> Taxis leave departing passengers directly in front of the main doors of the terminal, with an entrance to flight check-in. Arriving passengers are served by a taxi station on the arriving flights floor. The taxi station has lanes, of which passengers can choose the taxi that best suits them.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Bus: </strong>There is regular bus service by bus line 600 from the airport to Helsinki Central railway station (mainly through the Tuusulanv&auml;yl&auml;) and to major hotels and railway stations in the Greater Helsinki area that operates 24-hours a day, mostly every half-hour.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Parking: </strong>The airport has two parking garages (P3 and P5) as well as two outdoor parking areas (P4A and P4B). The free-of-charge bus service AirPortBus operated by Finavia travels between the parking areas and the terminal. There are also companies providing airport parking services near the airport, where passengers can leave their cars in a guarded area and get transport to the airport.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Helsinki Airport" src="../../main/img/airport/hel/1.webp" alt="Helsinki Airport" width="950px" height="500px"></p>