Finavia has issued a fresh Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) covering Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) that entered into force at 08:00 on Saturday, 18 July 2026. The trigger NOTAM (AIRAC AIP SUP 014/2026) introduces mandatory ice-shedding procedures for wide-body aircraft departing from the de-icing pads and temporarily closes several primary taxi-ways while resurfacing works are carried out until 06 August. Airlines have been advised to expect longer taxi-out times during peak morning and late-afternoon departure waves, with ground handlers asked to pre-position push-back tugs to avoid bottlenecks. Finavia says the measures are preventive: over the past two winters the airport logged a dozen “ice fall” incidents in which chunks of frozen glycol solution detached from wings while taxiing, posing a Foreign-Object-Damage risk to following aircraft. Although July is high summer, resurfacing work on the affected taxi-ways must be completed before the next icing season begins in October, and the authority is taking the opportunity to test the new procedures in live traffic. In practical terms, aircraft scheduled to depart from Gates 36–48 will taxi via the outer perimeter route rather than the central spine. Finnair and other hub carriers have warned corporate travel managers to add at least 15 minutes of buffers to their clients’ Minimum Connection Times (MCTs), especially for North-American and Asian long-haul connections that often depart in tight banks. Cargo operators using the south apron have likewise been told to submit slot requests 24 hours in advance. For business travellers the immediate impact will be felt in the form of earlier gate closures and a higher likelihood of missed onward flights if itineraries are not padded. Travel managers are advised to monitor Finavia’s live departure board and to flag the possibility of rerouting via alternate Scandinavian hubs such as Stockholm Arlanda or Copenhagen if severe delays build up. The work is scheduled to finish by 06 August; the NOTAM will be cancelled once pavement friction tests have been passed.
Source: AIS Finland NOTAM bulletin
