"The order for 19 Airbus A350s is the biggest investment ever made by Finnair in all its history, since 1924", says Javier Roig, Sales Director Southern Europe for Finnair. The first Airbus A350 has just been delivered to the Finnish airline, which will start operating them to Asia this winter. Services to Bangkok, Shanghai, Tokyo and New York are scheduled to start this winter, after being "conditioned" on intra-European routes between now and November. Finnair thus becomes the third largest company in the world to bring Airbus' latest aircraft into service.
"The Airbus A350 will enable us to continue to strengthen our position in AsiaThis is a market in which we have been developing a strong position for several years now. niche business. With Helsinki ideally positioned in Northern Europe, we are the company offering the fastest flights on the whole of North East Asia, i.e. China, Korea and Japan", describes Javier Roig.
In total, Finnair serves 15 destinations in Asia. It has just announced that it is strengthening its network further, with the addition of the following services from Helsinki two new lines The first will be to Fukuoka, its fourth destination in Japan after Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, with three flights a week. Guangzhou (Canton) will also be served with four flights a week. Both routes will be launched in May 2016 and will at least be in operation throughout the summer season. "We are constantly expanding our network. Since last year, for example, we have been serving Ho Chi Minh City, which in fact replaced a previous Helsinki-Hanoi route. We are continuing to look at other Asian destinations," says Javier Roig.
The Airbus A350 features a completely redesigned on-board product, with a particular emphasis on the Scandinavian designThis includes meals prepared by Scandinavian chefs, as well as the best of Scandinavian hospitality. "This includes meals prepared by Scandinavian chefs, from new seats Zodiac, specific lighting that varies according to the time of day or take-off and landing, in-flight service designed by Scandinavian designers, right down to the cushions, created by Marimekko, probably the most famous design firm in Finland".
The A350's extra-wide fuselage also makes it possible to more space for both baggage and cabin mobility. "We offer 297 seats, including 46 Business class seats43 in Economy Comfort Class and 208 in Economy Class. The Economy Comfort Class, located at the front of the Economy Class, offers an extra ten centimetres of space. It's a good option for passengers who can upgrade to Economy Comfort at a very reasonable cost", describes Javier Roig. Another advantage, and not the least, is that thefree WIFI access for business passengers and Finnair Plus Gold and Platinum members. "Here again, we are among the first airlines in the world to offer this service to high-contribution passengers. Just as we were the first carrier to offer check-in by SMS", adds Javier Roig.
In parallel with the introduction of new on-board services, Helsinki airport is also completing its transformation. A new area comprising 70 shops and restaurants is due to be inaugurated in the next few days, while extension work will enable the terminal to accommodate 20 million passengers by 2020 compared with the current 16 million.
