Finnair is set to launch a seasonal service from Edinburgh to Helsinki in 2016, offering travellers faster connections to Finnair’s network of Asian destinations. The service begins on 18 April 2016 and will operate to 27 October 2016.
Edinburgh will be served by three flights a week operated by a Finnair Airbus A319.
“The new Edinburgh route will open up travel to Finnair’s extensive Asian network for Scottish passengers with short connections at Helsinki Airport.
“Edinburgh Airport is seeing a continuous growth in demand for international flights, recently announcing a 10.2% growth year-on-year to July 2015 and we look forward to welcoming these passengers on board Finnair,” says Petri Vuori, Finnair’s Vice-President of Global Sales.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Airport, said: “This is a significant route for Scotland and one we have been working very hard to secure. Not only will it give Scots fantastic connections to the Far East via Finnair’s excellent hub in Helsinki, it will also open up our country to significant traffic from Russia, China, Japan and Finland itself.
“I hope that this is the beginning of Edinburgh Airport further strengthening Scotland’s links with these key global destinations.”
Finnair, recently named Northern Europe’s Best Airline for the sixth year running by Skytrax, is the European launch customer for the next-generation Airbus A350 XWB aircraft. The completely new aircraft type substantially raises the bar for passenger comfort, environmental performance and operational efficiency.
Finnair is also the first airline in the world to operate the A350 on scheduled services to China, where Shanghai will be served with a daily A350 service from 25 October 2015, followed by Bangkok and Beijing, with Hong Kong and Singapore A350 services to be added in 2016.
The Edinburgh service is one of four new routes launching in summer 2016, with the launch of services from Helsinki to Billund, Denmark; Pula, Croatia; and also the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean.
The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Keith Brown, added: “This is another fantastic service to add to the growing number of international destinations available from Edinburgh Airport, and I congratulate both the Airport and Finnair on this announcement. This link to the Helsinki hub will bring real benefits to Scottish businesses by opening up more links to international markets and will also boost our tourism industry by providing greater choice and capacity for visitors.
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