“In aviation industry, we are passing through a very difficult phase due to the present global financial crisis. There is a general feeling that the coming year is going to be even more difficult. There will be many new challenges on the way ahead,” said Mr Christer Haglund, Senior Vice-President, Finnair.

“Airlines are currently battling through the worst crisis in their history. The only airlines to survive will be those that adapt best to changes in the operating environment and are able to invest in modern, energy-efficient fleet. Over time, however, new technology and new business models will create better conditions for sustainable growth,” he said.

He was speaking at the launch ceremony for his book, ‘Departure 2093: Five visions of future flying’, which was jointly organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Finnair here today. In the book, Finnair enlists the aid of experts to highlight the perspective that are both essential and fascinating when addressing the future air of travel.

Mr Christer, while talking about Finnair and its commitments, said, “At Finnair, our target is not to be the biggest or the cheapest airline in the world. But rather, we aim at being the most preferred choice with the highest quality of products.”

“Today, customers have the power to make eco-friendly choices. With these choices, if properly executed, the emissions can be cut by up to 30 per cent,” he added.
Finnair, which is one of the oldest airlines in the world and is celebrating 85th anniversary this year, has decided, instead of recalling the past, to embrace the future and take a peak all the way to 2093. Finnair started its operation in India just two years ago. It launched direct flights between Delhi and Helsinki on October 30, 2006. The flights between Mumbai and Helsinki were launched on June 27, 2007. Finnair currently operates 13 flights a week between Helsinki and Delhi/Mumbai.
20/12/08 Moneycontrol.com

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Finnair’s Asian traffic, measured in passenger kilometers, grew 23.4% compared to March of the previous year. Number of passengers carried on Finnair’s Asian flights in March was 107 760, which is 17.9% more than a year ago. The increased traffic on Mumbai and Delhi routes is the engine for Finnair traffic growth. RPKs in European traffic grew by 7.4% and passenger load factor decreased by 1.2 percentage points to 66.8%.

Finnair traffic altogether, measured in passenger kilometers, increased by 15.0% in March, while the capacity was up by 18.2%, resulting in a passenger load factor of 76.4% or 2.2 points lower than last year. Leisure flights’ passenger load factor increased by 1.3 percentage points to 89.6% compared to the previous year. Finnair transported altogether 744 216 passengers, which is 1.2% more than a year ago.
Finnair scheduled traffic increased by 13.7% compared to March last year. Number of passengers carried on scheduled flights was 619 442, which is 1.5% less than in March 2007. Passenger load factor in scheduled passenger traffic was 71.8%, 3.3 percentage points lower than last year.

Newsdesk, Sweden


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Finland’s national carrier, Finnair, on Thursday announced the launch of its flights from Mumbai, starting June 17. The airline, which has had a tri-weekly service on the Delhi-Helsinki route since April last year, is scheduled to launch its Mumbai operations with a five-weekly service to the Finnish capital.

With the government freezing fresh slots for airlines at Mumbai and Delhi airports for the summer schedule—in a bid to curtail airspace congestion—-the airline is rejoicing the plum morning slots it has managed to get for Mumbai.


“Indian airports are so crowded right now, we are glad we got the slots. We knew that if we didn’t grab the slots right now, there would be absolutely no slots for the next two-three years at least,” said Taina Törnström, Director, Indian subcontinent, Finnair. The airline has bagged an 8.15 am slot for departure to Helsinki from Mumbai, from Monday through Friday. “We are so happy about the slots,” said Törnström, who has been negotiating with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) since January.

Commencing the Delhi flight, where the average load factor is a promising 80 per cent, is already paying off: “In 2005, we had 25,000 overnights from India. In 2006, the number was 40,000, which is an increase of 45 per cent,” said Sven Hansen, Regional Manager, Finnish Tourist Board. And to convert the average time Indians spend in Finland—from three nights now, to five night—-the Scandinavian country is laying special emphasis on Indian cuisine, and has organised training for chefs in hotels and for onboard catering.

An Airbus 340 aircraft, with 30 seats in the business class and 265 in economy will be utilised for the eight-hour flight from Mumbai to the land of the midnight sun.