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July 31, 2018Helsinki Vantaa Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on May 31, 2023
Helsinki Vantaa Airport (HEL/EFHK) is located 15km north of the downtown of Finnlands capital and the biggest airport in the scandinavian country. The airport handled almost 19 million passenger back in 2017 and almost 200t of freight. Helsinki Vantaa was finished in 1951 to repleace Helsinki Malmi, which got to small by then. The reason for the new airport were the for the Olympic summergames back in 1952 – one year after the opening of the new airport.
With the time the “new” Helsinki airport grew and grew. Back in 2002 the third runway was constructed and nowadays the terminals are being expanded (to be able to handle 20 million passengers from 2020 on).
Helsinki Vantaa is being served by around 25 airlines regularly, including transcontinental carriers like JAL or Qatar and european ones like KLM, Lufthansa and similar. Of course, the Finnish airport is the mainhub for the biggest national airline, Finnair. This carrier connects many Asian cities with the scandinavian hub today and that’s why HEL got one or even the most important transfer airport for passengers on their ways between Asia and Europe, if they want to avoid direct and often more than 10h flights. Those travellers (and all other ones of course as well) can enjoy the free Wifi in all the terminal facilities nowadays.
Written by Severin Hackenberger and Mikko Heiskanen, Mikko Mertanen. Last change: April 2023 (Spots 3S,10,12-14 added)
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 04L/22R | 3.060m / 10.039ft Asphalt |
| 04R/22L | 3.440m / 11.483ft Asphalt |
| 15/33 | 2.901m / 9.518ft Asphalt |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 | Star Alliance members (except Turkish Airlines), airBaltic, Vueling |
| Terminal 2 | Finnair and all other “One World” and “Sky Team” members, Turkish Airlines (although it’s “Star Alliance” normally) and all of the non-aligned carriers (e.g. Belavia, Transavia, Sun Express and so on). Apart from this charter flights like Wamos Air. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Often useful, but not always needed! Many spots are higher than the fence cause of buildings or hills. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is highly recommended as distances are high and public transport is quite poor. |
| Restrooms | Quite limited and almost only inside terminal (and nearby) facilities or inside nearby restaurants/fast-food shops. |
| Drinks/Food | Nothing directly at the spots itself so be prepared. Quite limited and almost only inside terminal (and nearby) facilities or inside nearby restaurants/fast-food shops. |
| Hotels | Limited and almost only near the terminal or inside the city. The Hilton Hotel Helsinki Airport is a great combination of a good hotel and a spotting location, because you can take pictures directly out of the hotel. From the stairhouses inside the hotel you can take spot planes. This is an alternative to the scenic terrace, if the terrace should be closed, not opened yet or similar. The stairs CAN’T be entered from the ground floor, but from the floors above you’ll be able to do so even without keycard. The stairs can be left without hotel keycard as well. There are four stairhouses (one at every corner). For pictures click on the icon on the map! Taking pictures during the day works fine, but as soon as it is going to be warm or you want to shot during the night, this option is useless due to light reflections and haze. |
| Season | Depending on what you wanna shot, but summer is mostly better, because you’ll have much more daylight. Of course for deicing shots at the winter months will be better. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 04L/22R | During Southern/Western winds, RWY22R is mainly used for departures. It is also used for arrivals during afternoon peak-hours. During Northern/Eastern winds, RWY04L is almost exclusively an arrival runway. |
| 04R/22L | During Southern/Western winds, RWY22L is used for arrivals during afternoon peak hours, and for some departures off-peak hours. During Northern/Eastern winds, almost all departures use RWY04R. The runway also gets some arrivals during arrivals-peak and also other times when departures permit. |
| 15/33 | During Southern/Western winds, RWY15 is used for arrivals off-peak hours. Some turboprop departures use RWY15 as well. RWY33 is only really rarely used (a couple of times a year as this runway is mostly only used a lot during strong winds), when the wind dictates it. So a hard, northerly wind. It usually means that all traffic is using that RWY. |
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Ahtolantie - 22L arrivals (afternoon)
| WHERE | This spot is no exact location rather the are along the field depending on your favourite angle. The easiest way is by exiting highway “45” onto “Kulomäentie”. This road ends up in “Puusepäntie” road. Shortly after those two roads got one exit “Puuseoäntie” into “Ahtolantie” road on your left. Follow the road till its end and choose your favourite position. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 22L. |
| TIME | From afternoon on (16:00/17:00) till sunset. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. Nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Lemminkäisen Kallio - 22L arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is located on a high rock, which can be reached from “Puusepäntie” street. You can easily go a few houndred meters to the sides to get a better angle for normal side arrival shots, this spot is more for creative shots like the example picture. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 22L from behind from the rocks top. |
| TIME | Depending on your interest. If you want to take creative shots like in the example pictures, backlit might be okay/good as well – then the time from December till February will be the best time. So depending on this, the spot is useful all day. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed. Climbing might be dangerous. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 500mm |
Spot itsself looks like THIS.
Taxiway Z - 22L and 15 arrivals, 04R heavy departures
| WHERE | From the terminal, drive “Ilmailutie” until you get to t-junction, then turn left to “Cargo 2” on “Ilmakehä” then turn left on the next junction to “Junkersintie”. After about 1km, take the first exit from the roundabout to “Läntinen Valkoisenlähteenti”e and then turn right to “Tuusulantie” highway. After a couple of kilometres turn right from the first intersection and take the second exit to “Koivukylänväylä”, turn right to bridge which goes over the “Tuusulantie” highway. Then drive straight on “Simosentie” and “Antennitie” and then turn right to “Vesikuja”. Follow the road for about 600m, then you can see a parking spot on the right. From here it is illegal to drive further but some still do it.
For the northern point: follow “Vesikuja” till its end, which ends up at a gate – pass the barrier on the right and contiue proceeding along the fence until you will see the airport fence infront of you. Turn right and walk along the fence again. After a couple of hundred meters the road takes a dip and on the right there is a hill which is higher than the fence. For the southern point: from the parking walk to the opposite direction. You will reach the spot by walking to the FinnHEMS building and then walking along the fence for roughly 200 meters. There is a barrier but you can just go around it. |
| WHAT | Northern Point: Arrivals on runway 22L. Late rotations on runway 04R as well as most arrivals on runway 15 as the Finnair A350 below in the example pictures. Southern Point: arrivals on runway 15 only but you are closer. |
| TIME | Runway 04R/22L: From morning (07:00) till late midday (15:00). Runway 15/33: From sunrise till late morning. |
| MISC. | No ladder is needed. There is nothing so bring everything with you. From the southern point: ladder is not necessary but it’s helpful so that you don’t need to shoot trough the fence which can get in your shots when taking side angles. By using a ladder you can also prevent planes’ landing gears from getting hidden behind the grass. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 300mm |
Northern Point
Southern Point:
Cargo ramp embankment- 33 arrivals and cargo ramp
| WHERE | This spot is located by the roadside of “You can also take pictures along the fence (like the C17), but then you need a ladder! |
| WHAT | Cargo apron and 33 arrivals (rare only during strong winds). |
| TIME | Arrivals on runway 33 are good from sunrise till late morning (09:00); Cargo apron depends on the angle, but from 16:00 on you’ll bad light mostly, so spot is better in the morning hours. |
| MISC. | Ladder not really needed, only if you wanna shot next to the fence. But don`t stand direcdtly at the fenceline as security may approach and ask you to step back. Otherwise you can use the hills on the other streetside to clear the fence! Nothing really nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-400mm |
Spot itsself looks like THIS.
View from the hill looks like this (but you can also take pictures right from the fence like the USAF C17 example shot above):
Junkersintie - 33 arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is located right by the roadside of street 1371/”Junkersintie”. You can reach this spot by using the car and park it nearby the bus stop or by using the bus, which literally just stops right in front of the spot. Bus stop name is “Kiiroradantie” and (in June 2018) the stop is served by the lines 621 and 962.
Update 2018: Unfortunately the fence was moved and now you can’t climb the cliffs, which can be seen on the Google maps shot. You can still take shots by the roadside, but of course the shooting window is limited now. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 33. |
| TIME | From late morning (10:00) till sunset. |
| MISC. | Ladder not needed, but useful. Nothing really nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70 – 200mm |
Spot itself looks like THIS.
GAT - Ramp of GAT and Cargo
| WHERE | This spot is just next to the GAT by the fence. It can easily reached by car, which can be parked infront of the terminal. But you can also use the bus to get there. Therefore just exit at “Liikelento” a few meters to the west. Then follow “Siipitie” road and “Liikelentotie” road until you reach the GAT. |
| WHAT | GAT apron and maybe some views on the cargo apron as well. Runway 15/33 can be seen from here as well. |
| TIME | Depending on the angle; GAT rather around noon and runway from 10am on till sunset. |
| MISC. | Ladder needed! Nothing really nearby, like restrooms or food. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24 – 250mm |
Rahtikuja - 33 arrivals and departures, taxiway
| WHERE | This spot is located right by the fence at the end of a alley called “Rahtikuja”. The way from terminal 1 takes about ~15 minutes by foot. Walk on “Rahtitie” past terminals and the cargo buildings (on your left) and shortly after the roundabout turn left to “Rahtikuja”. Walk to the end of this alley, until you get to the fence. |
| WHAT | Arrivals/departures on runway 33 and nearby apron movements and the planes taxiing to business terminal. |
| TIME | For parked planes from morning till late midday (14:00) and for runway 15/33 from late morning (10:00) till sunset. |
| MISC. | View can be very limited due to freground clutter and you just see the arrivals late (no more view to the right than shown on the overview shot below). So the shotingwindow is sometimes limited/blocked by containers or/and parked aircraft. Heat haze is a big problem in summer! No ladder is needed as there are fire escape ladders to use and you can also take photos through the fence, but this is very difficult. But spotting with a ladder is much easier and better as you can vary your position in order to see the planes earlier. There is nothing so bring everything with you – nearest facilities in terminal 1. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18 – 400mm |
cenic terrace - 04R/22L movements, apron
| WHERE | Exit the arrivalarea of T2, then go to the front, where walkway meet streets – decorated by some concrete piers. Follow the signs into south-western direction till the blue big building, which “wears” the Finnair title at the top. The building do not look open to the public that much, but it is: just enter it, go up to the 6th floor and go out onto the terrace.
If the extrem weather is inconstant, you should phone the hotline before you plan to visit the terrace: (+357) 020 708 3200 Update AUG 2022: Due to construction works, it’s non sure, if the way to reach this spot will stay the same all time. Way to get here is quite difficult to find and explain nowadays… |
| WHAT | Runway 04R/22L arrivals and departures as well as some apron movements. |
| TIME | Depending on what you wanna shot, but light conditions will be mostly better in the morning till midday. Runway 04R/22L: From morning (07:00) till late midday (15:00). |
| MISC. | The terrace can be reached without security check or similar and is supposed to be opened for the public from Mon-Sat 05:00-19:00 and Sundays 12:00-18:00. The free space for photos is quite limited, so it’s not the perfect spot for photos. Heat haze is a BIG problem from around 9am on, the weather almost doesn’t matters! If there are worser weather conditions (like fog, ice or snow), the outside part of the terrace might be closed, but then you can still shot from inside. Ladders forbidden! Everything you need is inside the nearby terminal facilities. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250 – 400mm |
The way to the terrace from above:
Airport terrace - 04R/22L movements, apron
| WHERE | This terrace is behind the security check, so you can only reach it with a boarding pass. Located quite in the middle of Terminal 2 above “Exit 2B”. Just follow the signs to the mentioned exit and once you’ve arrived there, go up to the first floor and you’ll see the terrace on the western side. The terrace is belonging to a restaurant, but nobody cares if you stay there without being a guest!
As you can see on the first overview picture, you can take picture without glass as well – therefore go to the right corner next to the door. View is more limited there, but quality is better as well! The space there is ~8cm wide. |
| WHAT | All activities on the apron and runway 04R/22L. |
| TIME | Depending on what you wanna shot, but light conditions will be mostly better in the morning till midday. Runway 04R/22L: From morning (07:00) till late midday (15:00). |
| MISC. | Everything you need is inside the terminal facilities. Ladder forbidden, the terrace behind glass! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 300mm Icelandair B757 = 50mm / Finnair A321 = 195mm / Finnair ERJ190 = 95mm |
How the get up to the terrace from inside the terminal:
Terminal Garage - 15/33 movements, 22L arrivals, 04R departures, taxiway, apron
| WHERE | This spot is on the top floor of parking garage P2. Spot can be accessed from inside the terminal. Go to the escalators which take you to the train station and walk past them. At the end of the hallway turn left and you will reach the lifts to the garage. You can also drive directly to the spot, but the parking is not free. |
| WHAT | Best for runway 15/33 arrivals and departures, and taxiways Y and Z. 22L arrivals and 04R departures in the distance. Planes taxiing from 04L to the gates using taxiway G can also be photographed here. Limited apron views. |
| TIME | Runway 15/33 movements: late noon until sunset Runway 22L/04R movements: about 6:00 am until 3 pm.Heat haze may cause some problems especially on the 22L/04R movements. On runway 15/33 and taxiway Y heat haze isn’t a major problem most of the time. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed but a small stool is helpful to reach over the barrier when photographing planes taxiing to/from the business terminal or 33 arrivals. No ladder needed for other movements. There is a hotel under construction which unfortunately blocks most views to runway 15 arrivals and taxiway Y movements. However, at the driveway to lower floors you can still photograph them from the kerb. Everything you need is in the terminal. This spot can also be used as a substitute when the scenic terrace is closed. Especially during winter time this is helpful. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100 – 300mm ASL 737 = 200mm, A350 runway = 200mm |
Pakkalan huoltotie - ramp, taxiway, arrivals 04R
| WHERE | The spot here is a combination out of two “part-spots”. In the end your exact position depends on the movement you wanna spot.
Car: This spot/spots can be reached easily from the highway 135, which is named “Lentoasmantie” as well. Therefore just exit the highway at the exit “Virkamies Tjänstemans”, which is marked as industrial zone on the signs. The exit will end up into “Tikkurilantie” street, where you’ll have to turn right (doesn’t matters if you’re coming from the terminal or the city). Then follow the street for about ~1,2km and exit the roundabout at the first exit to “Pakkalan huoltotie”. Follow the road for a few hundred meters and park at the building as marked on the map. Bus: Take the line 575, 576 or 632 to “Kytökaillo” bus station (marked on the map). After you’ve left the bus (at the named stop), walk to the mentioned roundabout and exit to “Pakkalan huoltotie”. If you wanna shot arrivals, follow the road for ~400m and climb the rocky hill on your left, but if you wanna shot line-ups/taxiing aircraft, follow the road for another ~400m from the parking and climb the rocks on your left in a curve. Arrivals: Climb the rocky hill, which is located on the opposite side of the parking spot infront of the hall/hangar. Shots of taxiing aircraft will be destroyed by all the poles on the apron, therefore the angle for arrivals is much better here. Line-Ups/Taxiing aircraft: Climb the rocks in the curve on your left handside and search your favourite spot on them – this (part-)spot is marked as #10.1 on the map. The angle for arrivals is much worser here, but you won’t have any poles in your way while shooting taxiing aircraft. |
| WHAT | Aircrafts parked around here and the ones, which are taxiing to 04L/04R takeoff. Apart from this, arrivals on runway 04R. |
| TIME | Depending on the angle of your object, but light conditions are mostly better around noon! Line-up shots are good from 14:00/15:00 till sunset. Runway 04R/22L: From morning (07:00) till late midday (15:00). |
| MISC. | Ladder not needed. Nothing nearby. Heat haze is almost always a problem for taxi-shots. ACCESS MIGHT BE DANGEROUS! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm |
Spot #11A:
Spot #11B:
Posti Logistic Center - 04R arrivals
| WHERE | The location is on the official parking lot of the finish Postal Group “Posti” which is located at the Tikkurilantie Road. Bus: There is a stop named “Postimiehenkuja” for lines 431N, 561 or 576. |
| WHAT | 04R arrivals only. |
| TIME | From sunrise till afternoon. |
| MISC. | There is a time limit for the parking lot which is 4 hours. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A359 = 110mm |
Avia Gas Station - 04R arrivals
| WHERE | There is a Avia Point gas station at Tikkurilantie corner Nuolitie. From the parking you have a nice view of 04R arrivals. Bus: lines 431N, 561 or 576 to “Vasamapuisto” stop. |
| WHAT | 04R arrivals only. |
| TIME | Only in the summer from afternoon until sunset. |
| MISC. | At the gas station there is a shop and a restaurant. Parking available with a 1 hour time limit. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 738 = 170mm |
Gravel Parking Area - 04L arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is at the entrance to a huge gravel factory, once again located at Tikkurilantie Road. Car can be parked by the roadside on the gravel, however use caution. Heavy trucks from the construction site enter and exit the area often. For spotting you can select either side of the road or climb the rock on the small path to be higher in relation to the aircraft. Bus: access by bus via lines 431N, 561 or 576 to “Mossaberget” stop. |
| WHAT | 04L arrivals only. |
| TIME | From sunrise till afternoon. |
| MISC. | There are “No park” signs installed so it is always recommended to keep the car in sight. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 738 = 100mm; Dash8 = 120mm |
Katriinantie rock - 04L arrivals and departures, 22R departures
| WHERE | The “”Katariinantie rock” spot is no exact position, rather the area along the fence, depending on the angle/moment you wanna shot! There are several rocks where you can spot from, either just next to DHL or a bit further up north.
Bus: Take the I-train from the terminal to “Aviapolis” station and then bus 576 to “DHL Etelä” or the next stop “Viinikankaari”. |
| WHAT | Arrivals and departures on runway 04L as well as departures on runway 22R. |
| TIME | From afternoon (16:00/17:00) till sunset in the summer only. |
| MISC. | No ladder is needed to clear the fence. There is nothing nearby so bring everything with you. DON’T TOUCH THE FENCE HERE! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Next to the DHL entrance
Further up:
For spot number three, there is a motor vehicles prohibited sign at the start of “Antennitie” (google maps plus code: 8XFR+32R Vantaa) and is therefore illegal to drive Antennitie. The spotting location can still be used, and for example I came with a bicycle, but you aren’t allowed to drive with your car to the parking lot anymore(still saw some people do it yesterday).
Had some difficulty finding Spot 8 but I found it in the end. It’s an office building that doesn’t look particularly open, but there’s an entrance that is open to the public. I followed the signs towards the Hilton hotel, and about 100m away from the hotel (the covered walkway stops briefly before continuing again, if you have reached the part where the walkway stops and starts again then you have gone too far and the building is just at the start), the entrance to the building is there – the sign on the building has a windsock icon. You then take the lift up to floor 6 and you are there. Hard to explain, and given that the building doesn’t look to the naked eye to be a public building, it is hard to know if you’re in the right place! According to the airport website, there’s supposed to be signage with a windsock to take you there, but the only windsock sign I saw was the one on the building itself. The view itself was pretty good, I was using 600mm (full frame) the entire time though.
Hi Thomas,
thanks for the comment. Edited the info for the spot a bit, the route to get there may change due to the constructions.
-Sev
Spot 13 is fenced off as i’ve drawn on this picture https://imgur.com/a/v0NJYjf
You can still however walk west along the fence for some time until there’s another fence by the racing track, but the street is now closed with a fence and a gate, you can’t enter it nor access the sand hill unfortunately.
11 is now behind the fences, no entey. There is also one good place between the numbers 11 and 12
To bad, thanks for the hint. Can you give us some more details about the place between 11 and 12 via our contact form please.
-Julian
https://www.spotterguide.net/missing-photos-location/
Done
just some info for spot 9 in terminal;
open Mon-Sat 05:00-19:00
Sundays 12:00-18:00
Thanks, text has bee updated.
-Julian
Hi,
According to you guys, what is the best spot for landing or airplanes taking off to see for my 3 year old- stepson who loves airplanes?
Thank you!
Hi Joost!
Depending on the runway usage I’d say either spot 2, 3, 8 or 12 have the most action which makes them the best for kids to see most movements probably 8, but ne is farer away there.
-Severin
Hi!
I visited spot number 13 a few days ago and they have now put up a fence on the road leading to the spot. I can’t describe it perfectly but the main point is that you can’t get to that spot currently without breaking the law properly.
Just wanted you all to know.
Hi,
too bad. But thanks for the update, guide updated!
-Severin
Hey, its still possible to access lineup spot. you have to walk alongside one small forest until you reach fence. 🙂
Hi Sander,
Will be adjusted, thanks!
For the Hilton of Helsinki airport, actually there are four stairhouses on the every corner of the building. Two of them are facing to the terminals and runways. I tried to take some photos in the night, but the light in the stair house was too strong. I struggled with the reflect light on the window and gave up finally. I don’t think it’s a good position for night spotting.
Thanks A.G for the information, will be added to the guide.
-Severin
For spot 10 and 11 you might be stopped by airport security or Finavia officials and asked to leave. This happened to me this summer. You are entering a construction site.
Sad to hear/read this, but thanks for the information, Daniel. I will add a note to the guide.
-Severin
For spot nr 13 there are signs you can’t go in the small street where the fence/gate is. And airport authorities also told me this. Even by foot it is in fact forbidden, even though i saw security passing without bothering.
The visitors terrace was closed today, although it’s just a bit foggy, no real ‘extreme’ weather. It’s also not clear with sign or so where to go because of the construction works, but still reachable.
For spot nr3: when you enter the last road there is already a sign it is forbidden to drive further. Where thr marked patked area is on the map, there is indeed place to park. But there is a batrier further on the road so you can’t even drive further.. Seems they added some extra security since this guide was written?
Hi Tjorn!
Thank you very much for the update, information were added now.
RE #3 – The barrier has always been there, we just didn’t mention.
…Rest is new. Bad luck all the airports get so strict!
Regards, Severin