Finnair CEO Jukka Hienonen says that the carrier is in discussion with Korean Airlines for potential further collaboration on the day it celebrated the start of Helsinki-Seoul services.
Flanked by Finnish prime minister Matti Vanhanen today (5 June) in the Korean capital, the Finnair boss told ABTN: ”I have met my Korean Airlines counterpart this afternoon and we had positive discussions on this topic.
”In Korean Airlines I think we would have a very good partner.”
The precise details of any deal have yet to be thrashed out but could include code-sharing on the Helsinki-Seoul route or Finnair placing its number on Korean Airlines” extensive Asian network.
Such non-aligned precedents already exist for Finnair with the carrier working in tandem with Air France and Air China across their respective route systems.
In separate news, Finnair maintains it is confident that the significant Airbus A350 aircraft order will remain on track, although it acknowledges that current manufacturing problems are a worry.
Speaking at the same ceremony today to mark the Finnish flag carrier”s launch of non-stop Korean flights, Hienonen remained bullish that his 11-strong A350 deal would not be derailed.
”The first of our A350s should be delivered in 2014 but of course everybody in the airline industry is concerned about these delays ” that reflects the development of such multi-billion dollar projects.
”I think they are risky and difficult projects but engineering possibilities can solve these problems in the future.”
Finnair”s understandable reticence to confidently predict that its 11 A350s will be delivered on time is based on the substantial slippage that both Airbus and Boeing”s A380 and 787 programmes have undergone and Hienonen is realistic enough to concede that there may be future disruption.
”I am not afraid of Airbus” capability to deal with this and I think that they have adequate resources for the future,” he said.
Finnish prime minister Vanhanen also reiterated Finnair”s comment yesterday that high oil prices would remain an unfortunate fact of life for the foreseeable future.
”What is important is that the demand for energy has increased because the world economy has grown so rapidly. We will have to be used to relatively high oil prices. The future population of 9bn people whose living standards will grow means energy prices will increase.”
Simon Warburton
Seoul