Airport operator Finavia announced on 13 April 2026 that Helsinki-Vantaa will introduce licence-plate recognition (LPR) entry and exit to its three remaining multi-storey car parks (P3, P4, P5) by early May. The technology, already in use at premium garages P1 and P2, allows travellers to drive in and out without taking a paper ticket—parking time is logged automatically and paid online or via Finavia’s mobile app. Helsinki Airport handles roughly 17 million passengers a year, a third of whom arrive by private vehicle or rental car. Finavia estimates the fully ticketless system will cut average exit times by 30 percent during summer peaks and save 15 tonnes of paper annually. The move dovetails with the operator’s wider digital-journey strategy, which includes biometric boarding gates and a pilot of the EU Digital Travel Credential for intra-Schengen flights. For business travellers, the biggest benefit is the ability to pre-register number plates and assign parking receipts directly to expense-management software, eliminating reimbursement delays. Car-rental firms based in the terminal will feed licence-plate data directly into Finavia’s backend, allowing faster vehicle turnaround and fewer disputes about fuel-return times. Finavia says similar LPR solutions are being evaluated for regional hubs in Oulu and Rovaniemi, which rely heavily on winter charter traffic. Environmental groups have cautiously welcomed the measure, noting that shorter exit queues should also reduce idling emissions around the terminal.
Source: CAPA – Centre for Aviation
