Finnair will begin daily Helsinki–Melbourne flights with a stop in Bangkok

The route will avoid Russian airspace, which has been closed to Finnair since the mutual restrictions introduced in March 2022.

Because of this, the airline has already changed some Asian routes. The flight from Shanghai to Helsinki now takes four hours longer than before.

Finnair CEO Turkka Kuusisto called the competitive conditions “extremely unfair”. He said that Chinese airlines, which have retained access to Russian airspace, gain a time advantage.

After losing part of its routes, Finnair carried out major staff cuts. The company also began leasing aircraft with crews to other airlines to reduce losses.

Sources

• Reuters