EFHK - Helsinki (HEL)
Helsinki Airport is the main international airport of the city of Helsinki, and the entire country. The airport is located north of Helsinki in the neighboring city of Vantaa. The airport is operated by state-owned Finavia.
The airport is by far the busiest in Finland and the fourth busiest in the Nordic countries in terms of passenger numbers. About 90% of Finland's international air traffic passes through Helsinki Airport. On average, the airport handles around 350 departures a day.
The airport is the main hub for Finnair, the flag carrier of Finland, and its subsidiary Nordic Regional Airlines.
| IATA | ICAO | Charts |
|---|---|---|
| HEL | EFHK | Finland AIP - EFHK |
Pilot briefing
The most important information is marked with this styling.
Currently available stands
Stand allocation:
Fun fact! Most of the stand numbers starts with the apron number.
| Type | Stand location |
|---|---|
| Schengen | stands 12-32 and remote stands |
| Non-Schengen | stands W34-W48, S49-S55 and remote stands |
| Cargo | aprons 2, 4 and 9 |
| General Aviation / VIP | apron 3 |
| Stands reserved for de-icing during winter season | aprons 6 and 8 |
Air Traffic Control positions
Due to the size of Helsinki airport and the increased amount of operations, there is a possibility to provide service from two tower positions, two radar positions and two arrival positions:
| Login code | Call sign | Frequency | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| EFHK_DEL | HELSINKI GROUND | 118.125 | - All en-route clearances (DCL/PDC: EFHK) - Ground movement on aprons 1S and 9 |
| EFHK_GND | HELSINKI GROUND | 121.800 | - Ground movement |
| EFHK_E_TWR | HELSINKI TOWER | 118.600 | - Primary Tower position - Runways 04R/22L and 15/33 - FATO H16/H34 |
| EFHK_W_TWR | HELSINKI TOWER | 118.850 | - Opened according to traffic demand - Runways 04L/22R |
| EFHK_E_APP | HELSINKI RADAR | 119.100 | - Primary Radar position - East sector |
| EFHK_E_APP | HELSINKI RADAR | 129.850 | - Opened according to traffic demand - West sector |
| EFHK_R_APP | HELSINKI ARRIVAL | 119.900 | - Primary arrival position - Sequencing arriving traffic below 5000 FT |
| EFHK_A_APP | HELSINKI ARRIVAL | 124.325 | - Opened only during parallel IFR approaches - Sequencing arriving traffic below 5000 FT |
Listen carefully to the frequency given when being transferred to another controller. Do not try and guess the next frequency, as TWR and APP units may be divided to smaller sectors with similar frequencies.
Ground movement responsibilities:
| EFHK_DEL 118.125 |
EFHK_GND 121.800 |
EFHK_E_TWR 118.600 |
EFHK_W_TWR 118.850 |
DE-ICING |
Preferential runway system
When ATC is online, the runway is selected according to the following wind limits when possible. Note that runways may differ from real life due different traffic amount and type. Controllers on VATSIM will select the most suitable runway according to the traffic needs on VATSIM.
| Preference order: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrival runway: | 15 | 22L | 04L | 04R | 22R | 33 |
| Departure runway: | 22R | 22R | 04R | 33 | 04L | 15 |
As a general rule, the first available preferential runway will be used until the crosswind component on a dry runway exceeds 20 KT and/or the tailwind component exceeds 5 KT. If the runway is contaminated, the respective restrictions are 15 KT and 5 KT.
DEPARTING AIRCRAFT
Pilots are requested NOT to include SID in their flight plan as this will be assigned by ATC.
Mandatory departure routes
IFR-flights departing from Helsinki above FL 95 shall use these mandatory routes after the SID:
After the last point of the mandatory departure route, pilots have mostly free hands to plan their flights with DCT routes.
RENKU is only available and mandatory for departures to EETN or EEEI. Maximum cruise level is FL 100.
En-route clearance
En-route clearance can be requested with DCL (datalink) or with VOICE over the ground or tower frequency depending on which ATC position is online.
If using DCL, pilots shall send the pre-dep request to identifier EFHK or EFIN, depending on which station is online. Frequency 118.125 shall be monitored when requesting clearance via DCL.
On initial contact, state aircraft type, received ATIS and QNH.
If you prefer to use a different runway due performance, you may ask it prior to receiving the en-route clearance. Runways 22L and 15 are often approved for turboprop or quiet aircraft.
If unable to follow RNAV SID, inform ATC when requesting clearance.
Your en-route clearance will include the destination, departure runway, SID or heading and the initial climb which is usually 4000 feet. You will also receive an SSR-code which shall be selected and activated prior to taxi.
Taxi instructions
Taxiing on the apron is always subject to instructions. If you are unsure where to go, please ask for detailed taxi instructions.
Apron Spots may be used as coordination points for both inbound and outbound traffic to and from aprons.
Do not cross a runway without a specific clearance from ATC.
When runway 22R is in use for departure, expect to hold short of runway 22L before you are given clearance to taxi to holding point runway 22R.
By default, ATC will use these holding points:
| Runway | Holding point | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 04L | WZ | ... |
| 04R | ZR, (ZS, ZT) | Aircraft from Apron 8: ZS, ZT |
| 15 | Z, YA | Turboprop aircraft DEP from Z |
| 33 | CN, YN | Aircraft from Apron 4: CN |
| 22L | ... | |
| 22R | ... | ... |