Several new European and North American routes will be introduced from Finavia's Helsinki Airport this spring and summer. For example, Aegean Airlines, Norwegian and Finnair will introduce new routes from Finland. Additionally, Turkish Airlines will increase the number of its flights to Istanbul, after which there will be as many as 18 weekly flights.
An entirely new airline, Swiss International Air Lines, will begin traffic between Helsinki Airport and Zurich at the end of March. Swiss International Air Lines will fly the route five times a week. In addition to Swiss, Finnair also operates the Helsinki–Zurich route.
“Based on the new flight routes, Helsinki Airport will experience a truly active summer season. In addition to an even broader selection for tourists, the increase in the number of routes also emphasises Helsinki Airport's role as an important international transit airport between Europe and Asia,” says Finavia's Director Joni Sundelin.
Route selection is based on demand and profitability
The selection and routes of the available flight connections depend on many factors. Functional flight connections are based on sufficient demand, created by the needs of tourism or business, for example. Routes with low demand are not sufficiently profitable for airlines.
“At Finavia, we are working hard for a comprehensive route selection. Our airport network is at a good level even by international standards, and our pricing policy is relatively competitive for airlines. For example, this year we decided not to raise the airport charges airlines pay,” Sundelin points out.
Finavia regularly markets Finnish airports around the world. For example, the massive World Routes Development Forum of the air traffic industry is utilised to attract new airlines to Finland. Next autumn, Finavia will host the significant global CAPA World Aviation Summit. Hosting the summit is a good opportunity to enhance airlines' awareness of Helsinki Airport and the largest regional airports. At the same time, it is an immense honour for Finavia's work in developing air traffic.
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These European destinations to be launched from Helsinki Airport
Switzerland: The connections from Helsinki Airport to Zurich will improve further when Switzerland's Swiss International Air Lines commences flights from Finland on 30 March.
Ireland: Finnair will begin flights to Dublin, which is renowned for its authors, on 30 March. The route will be flown on all other days of the week, except Tuesdays. The flights are operated by Flybe Finland.
Turkey: Turkish Airlines will increase the number of flights between Helsinki Airport and Istanbul. As of 30 March, the airline will add another four flights per week on the route. The number of weekly flights will reach as high as 18. Also, SunExpress will re-introduce its summer season route from Helsinki Airport to sunny Izmir in Turkey. The flights to Adnan Menderes Airport will commence on 30 March.
Malta: Finnair will fly to the Mediterraneanto the island of Malta on Mondays and Thursdays as of 2 April.
Greece: Aegean Airlines will commence flights between Helsinki Airport and Athens twice a week during the summer season starting 1 June 2015. Finnair will begin flights to Athens on 5 April. The route will be operated twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays. Norwegian will also begin summer flights to Athens.
Madeira: Finnair will begin scheduled flights from Helsinki Airport to the warmth of Madeira in April. Earlier, Finnair has provided only chartered flights to Madeira. The scheduled flights to Madeira will begin on 27 April, and they are flown once a week on Mondays.
Sweden: Finnair will begin flights to Luleå and Umeå, flying seven times a week to these coastal towns by the Gulf of Bothnia. The flights will begin on 18 May 2015, and they are operated by Flybe Finland.
Poland: In May, Finnair will open a daily route to Gdansk, which is also known as the capital of amber.
Croatia: Finnair will fly to Split twice a week from 5 May onwards. Split is a popular destination and a gateway to numerous destinations by the Dalmatian coast. Norwegian will open a route from Helsinki to the coastal town of Pula in June. The route is flown once a week on Saturdays, from 27 June 2015 onwards.
Cool summer route from Helsinki Airport to North America
Chicago, USA: Finnair will open a summer route to Chicago, flying three times a week to the city between 13 June and 17 October. The flights depart Helsinki on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Earlier this year, Finnair started flights from Helsinki Airport to Miami, Florida.
The new flight route search
