Category Archives: Finnair

Finnair adds flights to Europe for summer 2023: new destinations include Ljubljana, Bodø and Milan Linate Airport

Finnair has updated its schedule for short-haul flights in the summer season 2023.

Finnair will fly to more than 50 destinations in Europe, and has now added frequencies to several European capitals, such as Berlin, Copenhagen, Vilnius and Riga.

Bodø is a new destination for Finnair, with three weekly flights during the high season, and summer 2023 will also see Ljubljana coming back as a destination. In addition, Finnair will start flying to the conveniently located Linate Airport in Milan, in addition to flying to Milan’s Malpensa Airport.

Finnair flies to most European capitals at least twice a day, which also serves business travelers well. Also included are the popular vacation destinations, such as Rhodes and Alicante.

Finnair’s European flights connect smoothly to our long-haul destinations Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Soul, Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi, Mumbai and Doha. Finnair’s US offering comprises flights to Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle.

Finnair’s destinations summer 2023  

Domestic  Europe  Asia & Middle East  USA 
Ivalo Alicante Bangkok Dallas
Joensuu* Amsterdam Delhi Chicago
Jyväskylä* Antalya Hong Kong Los Angeles
Kittilä Barcelona Mumbai New York
Kajaani* Bergen Osaka Seattle
Kemi-Tornio* Berlin Seoul
Kokkola* Billund Shanghai
Kuopio Bodø Singapore
Kuusamo Bologna Tel Aviv
Maarianhamina Brussels Tokyo Haneda
Oulu Budapest Tokyo Narita
Rovaniemi Dublin Doha
Tampere Dubrovnik
Turku Düsseldorf
Vaasa Edinburgh
Frankfurt
Funchal
Gazipasa
Geneve
Göteborg
Hamburg
Chania
Heraklion
Krakov
Copenhagen
Larnaca
Lissabon
Ljubljana
London
Madrid
Malaga
Manchester
Milan Linate
Milan Malpensa
Munich
Naples
Nice
Oslo
Palma de Mallorca
Paris
Prague
Reykjavik
Riga
Rhodes
Rome
Santorini
Split
Tallinn
Stockholm Arlanda
Warsaw
Venice
Verona
Vienna
Vilnius
Visby
Zagreb
Zurich

*State-subsidised traffic until July 30, 2023. 

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A321-231 WL OH-LZS (msn 8069) LHR (SPA). Image: 942463.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair adds flights between Helsinki and Asia for summer 2023

Finnair adds flights between its Helsinki hub and key destinations in Asia for summer 2023.

Finnair will resume flights between Helsinki and Osaka with three weekly flights and adds frequencies to Tokyo Narita Airport.

Finnair also adds frequencies to Hong Kong and Delhi, operating daily to both of these cities during the 2023 summer season.

The Helsinki–Osaka route is operated on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and Osaka–Helsinki on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays as of March 26, 2023.

Helsinki–Tokyo Narita flights are operated on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and Tokyo Narita–Helsinki on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays as of March 27, 2023.

Finnair also flies to Tokyo Haneda airport daily during the summer season.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWN (msn 273) LHR (Andi Hiltl). Image: 947736.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair launches flights to Doha

Finnair is launching daily flights from Helsinki to Doha today, as it continues to expand its Asian network.

This route follows in the footsteps of Finnair’s recently launched flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Doha.

These new flights form part of Finnair’s new long-term strategic partnership with fellow oneworld airline, Qatar Airways. The partnership includes a comprehensive codeshare agreement and shared passenger and cargo capacity between both airlines on the route.

Services will depart the Finnish capital each day at 16:00 as AY1981, arriving into Doha at 23:45 local time. On the return, flight AY1982 will leave Qatar at 08:00 each morning, arriving into Finnair’s hub at 14:15.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWL (msn 134) (Marinekko Kivet) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 957402.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair continues to recover its network

Finnair flights are set to end 2022 on a high, as the airline continues to recover its network.

During December, the carrier is expected to operate 8,252 flights, the highest number since March 2020, according to data from the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The number of scheduled Finnair flights in December is also up 27% compared to the beginning of the year*, with the airline adding more popular flights to its network.

The Finnish flag carrier has also expanded its reach in the last year, with eight additional destinations being offered this December versus the start of the year.

The airline has also just announced that it will be expanding its services to Hong Kong from December, with flights from Helsinki rising from three to five times per week.

On November 29, the flag-carrier also resumed flights from Helsinki to Miami, in a boost to transatlantic travel.

This winter, Finnair and oneworld partner Qatar Airways established a long-term strategic cooperation, with the Finnish carrier also adding daily flights from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen to Doha.

The network expansion means Finnair will serve 16 long-haul destinations this winter across North America, Asia and the Middle East.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A330-302 OH-LTP (msn 1023) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 958836.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair reduces approximately 150 jobs as it responds to the impacts of the Russian airspace closure

Finnair has ended the change negotiations that were started early October on its plan to reduce 200 jobs globally. The plan was linked to Finnair’s new strategy published on September 7 which targets to restore Finnair’s profitability.

Due to the dramatic changes in Finnair’s operating environment caused by the closure of Russian airspace, Finnair now reduces approximately 90 jobs in Finland. Some employees can be offered a new role at Finnair. Outside Finland, 57 jobs will be reduced.  The personnel reductions will be implemented by the end of February 2023.

The change negotiations concerned some 770 employees in Finland who work in executive, manager and expert roles. Finnair has a total of approximately 5300 employees globally.

Finnair offers those who will become redundant support in re-employment through a change security program NEXT. This includes among other individual career coaching and training opportunities.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A321-231 WL OH-LZO (msn 7611) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 937523.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair cancels approximately 100 flights today and Monday due to a cabin crew strike

Finnair has had to cancel altogether approximately 100 flights leaving Helsinki Airport on Sunday, November 20 and Monday, November 21. The Finnish Transport Workers’ Union AKT has announced a strike regarding Finnair’s cabin crew in Helsinki between Sunday, November 20 at 3 p.m. EET and Monday, November 21 at 3 p.m.

Flight cancellations and rerouting of customers began on Saturday and work continues today. Finnair informs customers of flight cancellations using the contact information provided in the booking, and does its best to offer customers a new routing to their destination. Customers can also check the status of their flight in the Manage booking service on Finnair’s website, where they can also check that their contact information is correct.

The strike does not affect flights operated by Norra, nor flights whose cabin service is provided by Finnair’s partners, such as flights to Singapore and India, or flights operated by other airlines’ aircraft and crew, for example to Barcelona and Madrid.

During the autumn, Finnair has negotiated with all of its employee groups on savings needed to restore Finnair’s profitability. Finnair made considerable losses and became indebted during the covid-19 pandemic, and the closure of Russian airspace significantly impacts Finnair’s ability to generate profit.

The primary goal has been to find cost-reducing solutions together with Finnair employees. For cabin crew, Finnair proposed changes for example to crew utilisation efficiency, layover hotel rules and to additional pay-per-hour rules for long flights, as the closure of Russian airspace has made the flight times to Asia considerably longer. As no agreement was found with cabin crew, Finnair must look at alternative measures. Last week, Finnair announced it starts change negotiations on plans to increase subcontracting of cabin service on long-haul routes.

Finnair’s traffic will return to normal on Monday afternoon, but the strike may still impact individual flights after Monday. Return flights for long-haul flights cancelled on Sunday and Monday will not be flown, and there may be delays and cancellations on individual flights.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A319-112 OH-LVK (msn 2124) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 959423.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair wants to outsource cabin service on routes to Thailand and the U.S.

Finnair has started change negotiations with its cabin crew in Finland to discuss its plans to subcontract inflight service on routes to/from Thailand and the US to partners.

Possible subcontracting would be implemented by the end of 2023. The plan is a part of the efforts to restore Finnair’s profitability by reducing unit costs and strengthening unit revenues. Finnair made considerable losses during the covid-19 pandemic, and the closure of Russian airspace significantly impacts Finnair’s ability to generate profit.

Finnair’s primary target has been to find solutions for decreasing unit costs together with its employees. During this autumn, Finnair has discussed with all its employees about possibility to achieve savings by changing employment terms. For cabin crew, Finnair proposed changes for example to crew utilization efficiency, layover hotel rules and to additional pay per hour rules for long flights, as the closure of Russian airspace has made the flight times to Asia considerably longer. A negotiation result was reached with some employee groups, but unfortunately, a solution was not found with the cabin crew in Finland. In this situation, Finnair must seek savings through alternative measures.

If realized, the subcontracting plan could result in reducing up to 450 jobs in Finnair’s Inflight services. Finnair currently employs approximately 1750 cabin crew members in Finland. The cabin service for Finnair’s Singapore, Hong Kong and India routes as well as for the Doha routes from Stockholm and Copenhagen is provided by Finnair’s partners already.

The change negotiations will start on November 23 and are estimated to last at least six weeks. A social support program to help those who could lose their work in re-employment will be discussed in the negotiations.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWL (msn 134) (Marinekko Kivet) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 957638.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair celebrates its 99th birthday

Finnair marked its 99th anniversary on November 1 as it looks ahead to celebrating its centenary in 2023.

Established in 1923 on November 1 as Aero, the Finnish flag-carrier is the world’s sixth oldest airline still in continuous operation.

It has grown from its modest Nordic roots to become one of the mainstays of the oneworld alliance, offering an elevated travel experience to customers across its worldwide route network.

Long known for connecting Europe with Asia across the shorter northern route via its Helsinki hub, it has sought a new strategy in response to the recent closure of Russian airspace.

With more services to North America and Southeast Asia, Finnair has adapted quickly to continue offering customers to its latest destinations great service in its distinctive Nordic style.

Having carried just 269 passengers in its first year of operation, Finnair became the first small airline to enter the jet age in 1960 with its new Caravelle passenger jets.

Now a firm favorite with millions of dedicated customers worldwide, Finnair was also the first European airline to operate the Airbus A350-900, which is the backbone of its long-haul fleet.

The anniversary comes in the wake of the airline’s massive €200 million investment in an enhanced customer experience and elevated long-haul product.

Recent improvements include a brand-new Business Class concept – the AirLounge – an exciting new Premium Economy cabin, as well as renewed service concepts and a refreshed Economy Class cabin.

​Sustainability is at the core of Finnair’s strategy, with the carrier aiming to have cut emissions by 50%* by 2025 and be carbon neutral by the end of 2045.

The airline is focussed on the future, maintaining the social and economic benefits enabled by air travel, while dramatically reducing emissions.

Plans for Finnair’s 100th birthday are currently underway, and the airline will share details of these exciting plans in course.

Finnair flies up to four times a day from London Heathrow as well as flights from Edinburgh, Manchester and Dublin to Helsinki, enabling customers to enjoy quick and convenient connections, from as little as 35 minutes, to onward destinations to the US and Asia.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair-Finnish Airlines Airbus A319-112 OH-LVE (msn 1791) HEL (Ton Jochems). Image: 957343.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair to launch nonstop flights to Tokyo Haneda

Finnair made this announcement:

This weekend, Finnair is launching new direct flights from Helsinki to Tokyo-Haneda, in a boost to its Asian services.

From October 30, flights to Tokyo’s second airport will operate daily – in addition to twice weekly connections to Narita – giving customers a great choice of flight options to Japan and the country’s capital.

Finnair customers flying to Japan will also be able to experience the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A350 aircraft, featuring its brand-new long-haul cabins, including industry-leading Air Lounge Business Class seats, a brand-new Premium Economy and refreshed Economy cabin.

Flights depart Helsinki at 17:55, arriving into Tokyo Haneda at 14:25 the following afternoon. The return flight leaves Haneda at 21:55, arriving into Finnair’s home at 04:25 the following morning.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWM (msn 264) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 959219.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Finnair is flying to Eilat again

 

Finnair has today resumed flights to Eilat in Israel after an absence of over two years.

The Finnish flag carrier is one of the first European airlines to fly to Eilat this year, relaunching weekly flights from its hub in Helsinki.

The first flight, operated by one of the carrier’s Airbus A321s, received a warm welcome into Ramon Airport.

Customers can fly with Finnair to Eilat from now until the end of March, expanding the airline’s choice of winter sun destinations.

Services will depart Helsinki each Tuesday at 08:10, arriving into Eilat at 13:10 local time. The return flight will depart Eilat at 14:05, arriving into Finnair’s hub at 19:05.

Finnair also flies to Tel Aviv, three times a week, providing customers with a direct service to the highly popular holiday city.

The Red Sea coastal resort of Eilat, is one of Israel’s premier holiday destinations, basking in an average of 360 days of sun a year, offering holidaymakers brilliant beaches and a vibrant nightlife.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A321-231 WL OH-LZN (msn 7570) LHR (SPA). Image: 941813.

Finnair aircraft slide show: