Finnair: Four Years After the Russian Airspace Closure

HELSINKI — Four years ago, the Russian Airspace closure forced airlines in Europe and Asia to rethink their networks and operations. Finnair (AY), Finland’s flag carrier, was arguably the most affected in Europe, adding several hours to its existing routes in Asia.

Exactly four years later, AY organized its first international media day since 2019. "We faced an existential crisis during the pandemic and the airspace changes from exactly four years ago, which required Sisu," said AY’s CEO, Turkka Kuusisto.

Turkka took office in 2024, two years into the network disruption. Sisu can be translated into Finnish as inner strength, bravery, and resilience. These qualities were fundamental in ensuring AY’s long-term success and vision.

“Today, Finnair has rebalanced and restructured its network, exactly four years after the invasion of Ukraine,” continued Turkka. AY operates a network of over 100 destinations, with most of its revenue coming from connecting Asia to Europe. 

North America accounts for 9% of the airline’s capacity and has registered good load factor developments despite the generally inverted trend in Europe. The airline has announced 14 new destinations for 2026, including popular leisure destinations in southern Europe as well as its longest flight to Melbourne (MEL), via Bangkok (BKK).

Yearly growth

2025 marked a consolidation year for AY. The airline closed with a net revenue of EUR 60 million, impacted by the 2025 industrial action. This accounted for 68 million euros, explaining the lower year-on-year revenue.

Despite the rerouting and added costs, Japan remains AY’s arguably most important market. Closely tied to its history, the airline’s footprint in Japan remains the strongest in Europe. Summer 2026 will see AY flying 28 weekly frequencies to airports in Japan. AY now counts 12 destinations in the APAC region, with Melbourne joining later in 2026.

While travel from Europe to Japan is booming, also partially thanks to the weaker yen, AY is registering significant growth in its North America network. AY’s CEO commented on the uncertainty surrounding North American market trends, confirming that demand remains strong.

The Airbus A350 and the task of promoting tourism

Finnair is planning to receive its last Airbus A350-900 from the current order book before the end of the year, and is actively working on its narrowbody fleet renewal program. The airline is evaluating options from both Boeing and Airbus to guarantee its long-term connectivity model from/to Helsinki (HEL). Over the last few years, AY’s customer base has changed, with a more evenly distributed split between point-to-point and connecting traffic, and frequent fliers becoming more important.

Promoting Finland as a destination is becoming increasingly important in Finnair’s strategy. The country has registered a significant increase in point-to-point travel demand. More demand is found in connecting Asia to popular destinations in Northern Europe. To satisfy the growing travel demand to northern regions, AY’s network will include 80 weekly connections to destinations in Norway as well as 15 domestic destinations. 

Finnair is also extending its pre-flight purchase bundles, coupling add-ons such as WiFi, seat selection, and checked luggage into more convenient options. The bundles can be acquired with cash or Avios and were pioneered by AY in 2025. AY recorded over 70% of its sales through direct digital channels, resulting in lower sales costs and greater personalization.