Finnish carrier Finnair has today (August 6) reported a net loss of €28.2m in the second quarter of 2010 as the financial repercussions of the ash cloud crisis are felt
Finnair's president and CEO Mika Vehviläinen said the ash cloud had resulted in losses of around €30m between the months of April and June.
The loss is a 21% widening on the €23.4m in the same period last year. Vehviläinen said 1,700 flights had been cancelled during one week alone, affecting 140,000 bookings.
A restructuring of Finnair's Executive Board was also announced today as part of its first half interim results.
From September 1, senior vp operations Erno Hildén will become group CFO. Ville Iho will take on the role of senior vp operations from Hildén while continuing in his current roles as head of resource management.
The news comes in the same week UK domestic carrier Flybe announced it would provide regional services for Finnair.
As part of a "major agreement" between the two airlines, Flybe will operate services within Scandinavia and the Baltic Seas area commencing October 31.
Flybe will fly from Helsinki to "key Scandinavian and Baltic markets", naming destinations such as Tampere, Turku and Tallinn.
Three aircraft will serve these routes as part of the deal, but this is expected to grow during next year's busy summer period. Further co-operation on other Nordic and Baltic Sea routes will also be discussed.
www.finnair.com www.flybe.com