A new commercial area to open at Helsinki Airport – the magic of the forest and Nordic brands in the Schengen gate area

Finavia has done long-term work to develop Helsinki Airport into the best airport in Europe, representing Finland. We use surveys to identify the needs and wishes of passengers and follow international trends in the industry so that the airport’s commercial selection serves passengers even better.

Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for the eighth time in a row — and one significant factor behind the happiness of Finns is their connection to nature. A piece of Finnish forest landscape will be built at the heart of the new commercial area, inviting visitors to explore before their flight departs. The forest is surrounded by the new commercial premises and a café, with products and services that enrich the offering in the gate area" says Nora Immonen, Finavia’s Director of Commercial Services for Helsinki Airport.

The new shops, kiosk and café will open in March 2026 in the new commercial area on the Schengen side of the terminal, located before border control. The five new operators in the area will form a clear and interesting commercial selection around the forest theme. Next year, Partioaitta, which is a favourite of hikers and tourists, Lindex, which offers Scandinavian fashion, R-kioski, which offers a wide selection of snacks, the new Pure – Taste of Finland, which offers berries and other natural flavours as gifts, and the Finnish family-friendly café and restaurant Picnic will open in the renovated commercial premises of the terminal.

Operators whose products and services complement the selection in an interesting way were put out to tender for the new area. We believe that the customers at the airport are interested in camping products, northern flavours and fashion. The food selection offers both quick snacks that passengers can easily take with them and a cosy café and restaurant where passengers can spend time before their flight" says Immonen.

According to Finavia’s survey, one of the product categories that interests passengers the most at Helsinki Airport is souvenirs and gifts, especially food products. With regard to the restaurant offering, passengers are interested in Finnish flavours and healthy takeaway options.

We warmly welcome the new operators to Helsinki Airport! More than one million passengers pass through our airport every month, and they are already served by around 50 shops and 50 restaurants and cafés. The customer experience at our airport is among the best in Europe, which supports commercial success" she says.

Helsinki Airport has been chosen as the Commercial Space of the Year in the 2025 NCSC Awards Finland competition. According to an annual stakeholder survey commissioned by Finavia and conducted by Taloustutkimus, Helsinki Airport’s commercial partners’ satisfaction with Finavia was 4.40/5 in 2024.