The European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided a $260m loan to Finavia, the Finnish airport operator, for the expansion of the Helsinki Airport.
The investment will enable the international hub to serve 20 million passengers by 2020.
The airport terminal will be expanded with two additional piers, a 50% enlargement of the baggage handling systems, the development of associated landside and airside infrastructure and an increase in apron capacity and wide-body aircraft bridges.Â
The expansion programme will create up to 5,000 new jobs.
International traffic from the airport to Asia is expected to grow at an average annual rate of over 4%.
EIB Vice-President Jan Vapaavuori and CEO of Finavia, Kari Savolainen (EIB)
Kari Savolainen, chief executive of Finavia, said: "Helsinki Airport’s geographical location is an undisputed asset.
"Flying via Helsinki means choosing the shortest and fastest route between Europe and Asia.
"In order to keep up with international competition, we will be developing and improving the operations and services of Helsinki Airport even further."
Top image via Finavia
