As part of its growth strategy, Finnair will continue to increase the number of flights to a number of popular destinations next winter 2018/2019. A total of 100 flights will depart from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to Russia, the Baltics, Lapland, Germany, and Portugal each week. Finnair will operate 100 more flights than this winter. New summer 2018 destinations—Lisbon and Stuttgart—will be available year-round. Overall, the introduction of these new flights will provide 30,000 additional passenger seats during the winter season.
Finnair is placing special emphasis on Russian destinations. A third daily flight connecting Moscow and Helsinki will be added to the schedule, increasing the number of seats on the route by more than 301,000. The flight will be added to the schedule on April 23, 2018, as part of the summer schedule and will continue through the winter of 2018/2019. Its launch is driven by the interests of Russian travelers: it will provide even more convenient connections for passengers choosing Finnair for flights to Finland and other European destinations. The flight will depart to Helsinki early in the morning, allowing travelers to take advantage of all morning flights to Europe and return to Moscow late in the evening.
Starting in April 2018, Finnair will also offer additional travel options for residents of St. Petersburg. In the summer of 2018, the ATR 72-500 aircraft will be replaced by the more spacious Embraer 190. As a result, Finnair will be able to offer nearly 100 more seats daily on this route than previously. Furthermore, since the Embraer E-190 is configured in a two-class configuration, Business Class seats will be available on the route. Now, passengers who prefer to travel in enhanced comfort will be able to enjoy all the benefits of the airline's Business Class service.
In winter, many Russians travel to Lapland for their holidays, and Finnair will offer them two additional daily scheduled flights from Helsinki to Kittilä and Ivalo, among the most popular destinations in the region. Finnair will also adjust its flight schedules to several airports in Lapland to make connections with flights from Russia and other countries even more convenient. Finnair's direct seasonal flights to Lapland from London (Gatwick), Paris, and Zurich, scheduled to launch in winter 2017/2018, will continue to be available to passengers throughout winter 2018/2019.
Flights to the Baltic countries are also popular among Russian travelers, and in winter 2018/2019, Finnair will increase the frequency of flights to Riga and Vilnius by one flight per week to each city. The additional flights will operate on Sundays, bringing the total number to 19 per week on both routes.
Two more new Finnair destinations—Stuttgart and Lisbon—opening on April 23 and June 1, 2018, respectively, will remain on the schedule throughout the winter. Flights to Stuttgart from Helsinki will be daily, while Finnair will fly to Lisbon three times a week. The long-haul Helsinki-Nanjing route will also become a regular starting in the 2018/2019 winter season, with flights on this route operating twice weekly during the winter season.
Source: trn-news.ru