Between 1h45 and two hours' drive to cover the 170 km that separate the airport fromHelsinki-Vantaa to TurkuFinland's third largest city. Visit TampereHelsinki, the country's second largest city, takes about the same amount of time for a journey of 175 km. And yet there have always been flights from Helsinki to these two cities. They are probably among the shortest air routes in Europe.
In the context of global warming, Finnair has just decided to follow the example of Air France and Lufthansa. The Finnish airline will transfer certain flights on these two domestic routes to the.
Finnair suspended its domestic services to these two cities in March 2020. It has announced that it will resume these services in 2022. flights to Turku and Tampere. Normally served by ATR-72However, they will be supplemented by bus services from summer 2022. In this way, the company aims to make a greater contribution to reducing its carbon footprint.
"Turku and Tampere are an important part of our network. These routes focus on international connections. We therefore want to continue to offer the best range of connections to customers in these regions", explains Perttu Jolma, Vice President of Traffic Planning at Finnair. "Combining different modes of transport is an important tool for reducing carbon emissions. It is also in line with Finland's national emission reduction targets."
A 35-minute flight
Planned flight times to Turku and Tampere are 35 minutes. But in reality, the flight itself does not exceed 25 minutes. Such flights are generally only made in regions where the terrain is difficult to negotiate. Or when flights cross maritime areas or mountains. This is not really the case for Helsinki-Tampere and Helsinki-Turku - except when there is heavy snow on the motorways.
"We want to offer passengers the chance to reduce their carbon footprint by opting for a bus connection. We guarantee the connection to the final destination, even if the bus service is disrupted," explains Jolma.
According to a study based on Finnair customer datathe the majority of people departing from Turku or Tampere have already used a non-air connection to arrive at Helsinki airport in 2019This was the case when flights were operated several times a day. A smooth bus connection also offers an opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions for customers travelling to Helsinki airport by car.
Tickets for flights from Turku and Tampere can be booked on finnair.com. Tickets for bus connections will go on sale later in Spring 2022. they will only be available with a connecting flight. Bus stops will include Tampere and Turku airports, as well as the city centres of both cities.
Modest recovery in air traffic since July
Air traffic in Finland picks up moderately even though the Finavia airport authority has noted an improvement since July. Lhe country recorded 2.57 million passengers at all its airports, including 2.07 million at Helsinki. over the period January to September 2021. This represents a decline of 56% and 55% respectively compared with 2020. From January to September 2020, Helsinki recorded 4.64 million passengers. Over the same period in 2019, Finnair's hub accounted for 16.67 million..
Despite this major setback, thehe airport authorities are continuing the expansion work at Helsinki-Vantaa launched in 2017. In December, they will open the airport's new main entrance. Giving access to Terminal 2, it will be accompanied by a a new multimodal travel centre and a new arrivals hall. The entire Terminal 2 will open in summer 2022.
