Finnair celebrates 35 years of China flights

Finnair is celebrating 35 years of China flights and connecting Asia with Europe.

The milestone comes as the Nordic airline also celebrates its centenary.

Finnair’s first flight landed in China on 2 June 1988, with new non-stop service to Beijing.

It became the first Western European carrier to offer non-stop flights between Europe and China.

It was five five years after Finnair launched service to Japan in 1983.

Launch of China flights to Shanghai began 20 years ago, being the only Northern European carrier to offer direct flights at the time.

Finnair was also the first carrier to open a non-stop route between Europe and Chongqing in 2012, following with Xi’an flights the following year.

Before the pandemic and the closure of Russian airspace, Finnair flew to more destinations in China than any other European carrier, serving seven destinations.

These included Guangzhou and Nanjing.

Finnair has recently restored a select number of services to mainland China, beginning with the resumption of flights to Shanghai in July 2020, which now operates twice a week.

Finnair also operates a daily flight between Helsinki and Hong Kong.

“Finnair is proud to be celebrating 35 years of flying to mainland China this year and acting as a bridge connecting Europe with Asia.”

“We are committed to connecting our customers with China,” Anssi Partanen, Finnair Market Manager UK & Ireland, said.

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