New airline routes to Finland

Finland’s biggest hub, Helsinki Airport, is growing. Just last week, it finalised its new extension, Aukio. Opening the 33 400 square metres of new terminal space is a significant step forward for the airport’s goal of serving 30 million passengers annually. It’s going to be needed, as tourism numbers across Finland are increasing exponentially.

Helping to facilitate this growth is the increasing number of international airlines utilising the Finnish hub. And, with a minimum transit time of 35 minutes in place at the airport, fast connections mean all corners of the country are easily accessible. Check it out:

Air Serbia

Serbian national carrier Air Serbia is commencing a thrice-weekly service between Belgrade and Helsinki in June. Along with linking the two cities, the route “also provides a seamless onward connection through Belgrade to major destinations in Southeast Europe [and] the Mediterranean,” commented Duncan Naysmith, CEO of Air Serbia.

Tibet Airlines

Tibet Airlines will introduce a new direct flight route between Jinan, China, and Helsinki Airport on 8 April.

“The new Tibet Airlines’ route between Jinan and Finland reinforces Helsinki Airport’s position as a significant hub for travel to Asia,” said Finavia director Joni Sundelin. “It directly connects the Shandong province and Finland, and we warmly welcome Tibet Airlines here at Helsinki Airport.”

Juneyao Air

Chinese airline Juneyao Air will make its move into European markets by opening a direct flight from Shanghai to Helsinki in summer 2019.

“In 2018, over 550 000 passengers travelled between China and Finland,” explained Sundelin. “Chinese cities were the second most popular long-distance destinations after Japan.”

easyJet

Germany is the most popular market for Helsinki Airport, and therefore it came as no surprise when this low-cost airline opened a route to Berlin from Helsinki in March last year.

“We are delighted to launch our first flights between Helsinki and Berlin Tegel, connecting passengers between Germany and Finland for the very first time and expanding easyJet’s Nordic network,” said William Vet, a country manager at easyJet.

More recently, the airline also launched direct winter flights from London Gatwick Airport to the capital of Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi.

flydubai

In 2018, Dubai-based carrier flydubai became the first UAE-based airline to operate direct flights to Finland, with a year-round service from Dubai International.

“We are thrilled for this route opening and looking forward to our co-operation with flydubai,” commented Teemu Ahola, account manager for Asia and Middle East at Visit Finland. “Last year registered overnights from [the] UAE increased by 30 per cent in Finland and we are hoping to break the record in 2018.”