Finnair adds capacity to Asian traffic

Finnair is continuing the expansion of its Asian route network. The Asian traffic fleet will be joined by a seventh Boeing MD-11 wide-body aircraft in December this year. The airline's aim is also to acquire an eighth MD-11 aircraft during next year.

"We need more capacity as we open new routes in Asia and add frequencies to our current destinations. A month ago we opened Guangzhou in China. Next summer we will launch our third route to Japan as we begin operating between Nagoya and Helsinki," said Finnair President and CEO Keijo Suila in an investor meeting in Helsinki today.

"The past years have proved the efficiency of our Asian strategy, and we will continue our expansion in the east. When we began our powerful expansion at the start of the millennium, we had a capacity of two and a half aircraft in Asian traffic. Within a couple of years, we will have some ten wide-body aircraft. We will add between one and two new destinations in Asia per year and increase frequencies to current destinations," Suila added.

In the coming winter Finnair will renew the Business Class seats of all its wide-body aircraft.

Asian traffic makes up a quarter of Finnair scheduled traffic passenger and cargo revenue. European traffic makes up half of the revenue and domestic traffic a fifth. Finnair currently operates to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong in China as well as Tokyo and Osaka in Japan. In addition, the airline has four weekly flights to Singapore and daily flights to Bangkok. In the peak period of the winter season, Finnair operates even twice daily to Bangkok.

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