FINNAIR has reinstated several long-haul passenger flights to Asia despite the added cost of detouring around Russia after the nation closed its airspace to Western airlines, all thanks to elevated cargo rates, reports American Shippers.
The Helsinki-based carrier resumed service to Shanghai once per week from yesterday and three times per week to Seoul, South Korea, as of Saturday. It also cancelled flights to Osaka, Japan, and Hong Kong until the end of April.
It is the third time in a week that finnair has adjusted its schedule to the closure of Russian airspace in response to European Union sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine that bar all Russian aircraft.
Flight time for the new Shanghai and Seoul routes, which avoid Russian airspace, will be 12 to 14 hours, depending on the direction. Both routes go around Russia from the south, and the return flight from Seoul to Helsinki can also take the northern route, Finnair said.
On the Shanghai route, the return flight to Helsinki is up to two hours longer than the inbound flight due to the winds along the way.
'The further increased price of cargo currently enables continuing of passenger services to Finnair's key Asian markets even with the longer flight times,' the airline said in a news release.
Finnair flies Airbus A350 and A330 aircraft on its long-haul routes. The widebody planes have plenty of space for baggage and large amounts of cargo in the hold.
Making network decisions based on the cargo component is something Finnair got used to during COVID when the company focused more on cargo. Passenger aircraft were dedicated to cargo operations when travel demand evaporated and the company even removed the economy section of three large aircraft to squeeze more goods in the cabin. As bookings slowly recovered, cargo still often dictated the destinations, frequency and aircraft utilized.
Finnair has resumed operations to Tokyo four times per week from Helsink because Japan is one of its most important markets for passengers and cargo. Flying around Russia between Helsinki and Tokyo adds 3.5 hours, according to Finnair.
Going the northern or southern route depends on the wind direction. -The southern route to Japan goes roughly from Helsinki over the Baltics, Poland, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan to China, Korea and then to Japan. The northern route goes from Finland to Norway over Svalbard and the North pole towards Alaska and then across the sea to Japan.
Finnair continues to fly to Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand; Delhi; and Singapore with routes that avoid Russian airspace and add about an hour to the trip.
The airline warned last week that it may put several hundred crew members on leave because of the reduced flying caused by the Russian war over Ukraine.
SeaNews Turkey
The Helsinki-based carrier resumed service to Shanghai once per week from yesterday and three times per week to Seoul, South Korea, as of Saturday. It also cancelled flights to Osaka, Japan, and Hong Kong until the end of April.
It is the third time in a week that finnair has adjusted its schedule to the closure of Russian airspace in response to European Union sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine that bar all Russian aircraft.
Flight time for the new Shanghai and Seoul routes, which avoid Russian airspace, will be 12 to 14 hours, depending on the direction. Both routes go around Russia from the south, and the return flight from Seoul to Helsinki can also take the northern route, Finnair said.
On the Shanghai route, the return flight to Helsinki is up to two hours longer than the inbound flight due to the winds along the way.
'The further increased price of cargo currently enables continuing of passenger services to Finnair's key Asian markets even with the longer flight times,' the airline said in a news release.
Finnair flies Airbus A350 and A330 aircraft on its long-haul routes. The widebody planes have plenty of space for baggage and large amounts of cargo in the hold.
Making network decisions based on the cargo component is something Finnair got used to during COVID when the company focused more on cargo. Passenger aircraft were dedicated to cargo operations when travel demand evaporated and the company even removed the economy section of three large aircraft to squeeze more goods in the cabin. As bookings slowly recovered, cargo still often dictated the destinations, frequency and aircraft utilized.
Finnair has resumed operations to Tokyo four times per week from Helsink because Japan is one of its most important markets for passengers and cargo. Flying around Russia between Helsinki and Tokyo adds 3.5 hours, according to Finnair.
Going the northern or southern route depends on the wind direction. -The southern route to Japan goes roughly from Helsinki over the Baltics, Poland, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan to China, Korea and then to Japan. The northern route goes from Finland to Norway over Svalbard and the North pole towards Alaska and then across the sea to Japan.
Finnair continues to fly to Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand; Delhi; and Singapore with routes that avoid Russian airspace and add about an hour to the trip.
The airline warned last week that it may put several hundred crew members on leave because of the reduced flying caused by the Russian war over Ukraine.
SeaNews Turkey
