The one millionth Finnair passenger to have flown to Asia via Helsinki this year was honoured yesterday, 21 October, at Helsinki Airport.
Birger Rasmussen arrived from Copenhagen and continued from Helsinki to Shanghai.
“Due to its geographical location, the shortest and fastest route between Asia and Europe is via Helsinki Airport. Finnair's Asian strategy has shown its strength for a decade a now. Our next new destination in Asia is Singapore, to which we will fly from May next year,” says Finnair's Senior Vice President of Customer Service Anssi Komulainen.
“Helsinki Airport's popularity in traffic between Europe and Asia is growing all the time. Already 16.5% more transit passengers have travelled via Helsinki this year than in the corresponding period last year,” says Finavia's Senior Vice President and Airport Director Juha-Pekka Pystynen. The shortest flight route and an uncongested airport are also important advantages from an environmental perspective.
“Customers can reduce their travel emissions by up to 20% if they choose an airline which has modern aircraft and which flies direct routes, travelling in the right direction throughout the entire journey,” explains Finnair's Vice President, Sustainable Development Kati Ihamäki.
Finnair flies more than 60 flights per week to 9 Asian destinations. In the period 2001-2010, the number of Asian passengers passing through Helsinki Airport grew from around 240,000 to more than one million per year. This year the one million passenger mark has been reached as early as October. Finnair flies direct from Helsinki to the following Asian destinations: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Delhi, Bangkok and Seoul, and also to Singapore from May 2011.
Finnair offers some of the shortest and fastest connections between Europe and Asia because the most direct route between the two continents goes over Helsinki. Finnair fly to 9 cities in China, Japan, India, South Korea and Thailand.
Finnair fly twice daily from Manchester Airport, also a sponsor of the tour, and four times daily from London Heathrow.
Finnair Group website: www.finnairgroup.com
Feel Finnair: http://feel.finnair.com via.Helsinki:
www.viahelsinki.com
Follow us in the UK at www.twitter.com/FinnairUK