The advantage that Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport has over St. Petersburg’s congested Pulkovo Airport is the smooth flow of traffic.

Also, the Russians travelling to Europe may be attracted by the fact that from now on, to save time, the border-crossing formalities will take place on a moving train. “Helsinki-Vantaa is ideally positioned to serve as St. Petersburg’s number two airport. For once Finland’s geographic location is an advantage”, says Risto Murto, the head of the Logistics and Russia Unit at the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

But since the direction in which things are developing in Russia is still somewhat unpredictable, Murto chooses his words carefully.

The rail connection between Helsinki and St. Petersburg will speed up on both sides of the border. Hence even the travel time between St. Petersburg and the eastern border of Finland will become shorter. “The fast train connection will also open up growth potential for the Lappeenranta Airport”, Murto adds.

One can alight from the Allegro train at the Vainikkala border station when coming from either Finland or Russia. From the border station there is a bus service to the airport. Lappeenranta Airport is already attracting Russians travelling to Europe, but the small capacity and the limited number of departures set limits to the use of this option. There are daily departures from Lappeenranta to the Latvian capital of Riga. The other two European destinations, namely Düsseldorf and Brussels, are served less frequently.

News source: russia-media.RU
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