Finnair celebrates 30 years of Osaka flights
Flag carrier Finnair is marking a milestone 30 years of flights to Osaka flights, having initially launched the Japan route in 1995.
The first Osaka service took off on 19 April 1995, connecting Europe and Asia via the ‘short northern route’.
Flights on the route were initially operated twice per week, on the airline’s McDonnell Douglas wide-body fleet.
This summer it operates a daily service.
Finnair’s first flight to Japan took off 42 years ago this month, with a new non-stop service to Tokyo-Narita.
It was the only airline at the time to offer direct flights between Western Europe and Japan.
In the next decade, the airline added direct flights from Helsinki to Osaka, before growing its Asian network further to include other Japanese cities.
Finnair also recently reclaimed the title of the largest European airline to Japan by number of flights, offering 25 weekly flights from Helsinki to Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita, Osaka, and Nagoya.
Anssi Partanen, Finnair Market Director Europe, said: “We are proud to celebrate Finnair’s Osaka route turning 30, showcasing Finnair’s commitment to not only the city, but the wider Japanese market.”
Finnair services to Asia have also been specifically timed to allow for easy connections from Finnair’s UK destinations – including London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh.
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