Finnair to resume flights to Shanghai

HELSINKI - Finnish national carrier Finnair announced on Monday that it will resume flights to Shanghai, eastern China, as of July 23.

The airline will begin operation between Finnish capital Helsinki and Shanghai on a weekly basis from Thursday with its Airbus A350 airplane, as it has received permission from Chinese authorities, said Finnair.

"The re-opening of our Shanghai route is great news for our customers and an important step for us, as China continues to play a key role in Finnair's strategy," said Ole Orver, chief commercial officer of Finnair.

Orver added that Finnair is looking forward to increasing its service to the Chinese market as soon as possible.

Finland decided on July 8 to reopen its borders with 17 European and some non-European countries, including China, as the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic in those countries has been assessed as stable.

In line with the border reopening, Finnair is increasing its traffic in July, and serves more than 30 destinations in Europe and some Asian destinations, including Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Seoul.

Finnair updates its traffic plan on a weekly basis and has the capability to add flights at a rapid pace, as travel restrictions are removed and travel demand recovers, according to the airline.