Ground handling specialist Swissport has opened its latest Aspire airport lounge at Helsinki Airport.
The co-branded lounge is a joint venture with Finnish banking firm Op Financial Group and is the first such partnership between Swissport and a company outside the aviation industry.
The OP Lounge by Aspire, which is located within the airport’s Schengen area, can be used by OP Gold and Platinum cardholders. Access will later be extended to “status” customers of contracted airlines, which do not have their own lounges at Helsinki Airport.
The new lounge features 180 seats, private meeting rooms, and a range of food and beverage options for passengers.
Following the opening, the airport’s existing Aspire lounge will undergo refurbishment before reopening at the end of April.
Dirk Goovaerts, Swissport’s CEO of Continental Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, said the new partnership with OP would “bring a fresh lounge experience” at Helsinki Airport.
"Our partnership demonstrates that our expertise in airport lounge hospitality also appeals to companies outside the aviation industry who aim to include an extraordinary pre-flight experience in their customer journey," he added.
Masa Peura, director of everyday banking services at OP, said: “We have invested significantly in the development of our card services in recent years.
“In particular, the travel insurance and lounge services included in the cards have been widely used and appreciated by our customers. We want to offer additional value and convenience to our cardholders when travelling.”
Aspire Executive Lounges now has around 100 lounges at airports around the world after adding more than 20 new facilities in 2024.