Finnair’s green initiative to keep its salmon and pharmaceuticals cool at its Helsinki hub

August 23, 2017: Finnair has planned to utilise solar power produced by 1,200 panels installed on the building’s roof at its new cool Nordic Cargo hub at Helsinki Airport.

Each of the installed panels can produce up to 260 W of energy and the annual energy production level is estimated to be approximately 265 MWh/a. The solar energy produced at the cargo facility will represent over 10 percent of the building’s annual energy consumption.

Improving the energy efficiency of its facilities is a part of Finnair’s sustainability strategy. Sustainable development was a key consideration in building the new cargo terminal, and the building’s sustainability features will earn the terminal a “very good” rating under the BREEAM sustainability certification.

“Sustainability is important for Finnair Cargo customers, as well as their customers,” says Janne Tarvainen, managing director of Finnair Cargo.

“Our new cargo hub features advanced automation technology and has temperature controlled areas for pharmaceuticals and other perishable products, and the energy produced by the new solar panels supports the overall efficiency of the entire cargo terminal.”

Finnair will start operating at its new cargo terminal in phases from October onwards and the solar panels were taken into use already in May. Finnair’s full cargo operations at the new terminal will begin in January 2018.