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DALLAS - The prolonged Ukraine crisis is causing havoc for airlines, particularly those situated near the Russian border, the largest of which is Finnair (AY).

With a sigh of relief, the Finnish carrier finally managed to put its A330s to use after a new strategic partnership with Qatar Airways (QR) was concluded - three new routes to Doha (DOH) will commence shortly.

Both AY and QR are oneworld members and have figured out a win-win solution. In case you’d prefer a deeper dive into how AY is affected by the ongoing Ukraine crisis, here’s how the airline had to circumvent Russian airspace.

The new routes will not only connect the Finnish capital, Helsinki (HEL), to Doha but also to the other two Nordic capitals as well—Copenhagen (CPH) and Stockholm (ARN). The routes will be operated with Finnair’s A330-300s on a daily run. The possibility of adding another route to Doha remains on the table too.

Comments from Finnair

"Customers from the three Nordic cities will benefit from seamless connections via Doha to Qatar Airways’ extensive network of around 100 destinations across Australasia, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The collaboration will also open new destinations and connection opportunities across Finnair’s Nordic network for Qatar Airways’ customers," AY states.

Doha is the hot topic—the host city for the FIFA World Cup 2022. AY will aim to get these routes operational before the season starts to maximize capacity. The new routes will be available for purchase on both airlines' sites.

The AY A330s have been redone and feature the latest business class seat - the one that doesn't recline but still has got most to smile. At present, AY houses eight A330-300s besides seventeen A350s that make up the wide-body segment.

Featured image: Finnair OH-LTS Airbus A330-300. Photo: Kochan Kleps/Airways