From HEL to MEL: On Board Finnair's Inaugural Flight to Australia

‍MELBOURNE — Few airlines in the world have pioneered long-haul travel quite like Finnair (AY). Finland’s flag carrier counts on decades of innovation, for example, becoming the first to operate non-stop from Europe to Tokyo back in 1983 and direct flights from Helsinki to Beijing in 1988, another first for the airline. Back in 2015, AY became the first airline in Europe to receive the Airbus A350, a milestone of great importance given the developments taking place years later.

The A350’s efficiency has allowed Finnair to keep operating to most of its destinations in Asia despite the closure of the Russian airspace, while opening and reopening new ones. On October 25, 2026, AY’s first-ever direct flight to Australia took off from Helsinki, and Airways was lucky enough to be on board to report on the inaugural experience.

Our adventure across the world started in Helsinki Airport (HEL). No matter the travel class, this remains my favourite airport in Europe; easily accessible via public transport, efficient and optimised for connecting traffic, HEL welcomed just shy of 17 million passengers in 2025.

I arrived way ahead of time to check out AY’s Platinum Wing lounge, which we will cover in detail in a separate article here and in print. The lounge is famous for its sauna, a la carte dining experience and the beautiful centrepiece bar. After a mandatory sauna stop, I had some light dinner and waited for Finnair’s staff and media colleagues. Together, we headed to gate 44, where celebrations were already ongoing with live music, plenty of blueberry juice and a photo booth.

Following speeches from Finnair, Finavia and Melbourne airport, passengers pre-boarded AY145 for the very first time. Operated by the Airbus A350-900, OH-LWO, MSN300, the fully booked flight would take us first to Bangkok (BKK) for a technical stop before continuing to MEL. After some pictures at the photo booth, blueberry juice and interviews with Christine Rovelli, CFO at Finnair, it was finally time to start our journey to the other side of the world.

I pre-selected seat 2H in Business Class towards the front of the cabin. Here I found the Marimekko amenity kit, menus, bedding kit, noise-cancelling headphones and a bottle of water. The seat is private even without a privacy door and is very comfortable even without the traditional electronic reclining mechanism. The lie-flat position is obtained by raising a large footrest and closing the gap to the ottoman in front to create an amazingly large lying area.

The seat features a universal outlet, two USB chargers, a remote to control the IFE, a deep storage pocket next to the large table, and a well-integrated one inside the hard shell for the headphones. Once in lie-flat mode, the legroom is truly outstanding.

Two pillows also help with comfort in the upright position. As soon as we boarded, we were offered a welcome drink in Finnair’s signature Iittala glassware, arguably the most iconic on earth. The Ultima Thule glass was launched back in 1969 to celebrate AY’s inaugural flight to New York.

I quickly checked the dining plan for this flight: dinner would be served after take-off, with brunch following before arrival in Bangkok. On the second leg to MEL, dinner would be served once again following take-off, with breakfast before arrival in the morning.

We pushed back into the night as the last scheduled flight before the start of the early morning rush. The A350s are equipped with tail and nose cameras; I was able to follow the take-off from my seat’s IFE. Dinner service started with a hot towel almost immediately after take-off. I opted for the reindeer stew as the main course paired with a glass of French red wine. Back in February, we visited AY’s catering facilities in Helsinki, where the airline prepares meals for its global network. Consistent with previous experiences, the dining presentation and quality were superb.

I then connected to the WiFI, complimentary for Business Class passengers and status holders. The service worked brilliantly from HEL to MEL and allowed me to browse, update social media and chat without disconnecting once.

As it was already late at night, I changed into comfortable clothes, made my bed, and slept for over four hours. Waking up above Pakistan, I checked out the landscapes from the lavatory’s window at the front. Finnair’s A350s have 30 Business Class seats and three lavatories. The airline also has a second premium-heavy layout with a second Business Class cabin for a total of 43 seats.

The IFE interface remains one of the most intuitive and well-designed ones. The home screen features flight times in both the departure and arrival time zones. Above, the dining and rest times are clearly labelled, and the menus can be checked too. The screen is also packed with multimedia titles, games and in-flight map angles.

Before arrival, brunch was served, and I opted for the salmon to pause my otherwise reindeer-exclusive diet. This was served with a selection of cold cuts and porridge. We touched down in Bangkok, followed traffic in the area, and headed to our gate. 

Before landing, AY cleverly displayed information illustrating the transit procedure in Bangkok. Once on the ground, it was easy to follow the signs to clear security and head back to our aircraft. Our documents and baggage were controlled at several stations to ensure compliance with Australian regulations on goods to be introduced into the country.

A spectacular sunset later, a new crew had boarded the newly cleaned OH-LWO. We headed back to our seats for the second leg of the journey, AY’s first flight to Australia. With the new connection, AY has become the only airline from the European Union to operate commercial service to Australia, joining TK and BA from the old continent.

On board, the same (refreshed) amenities awaited: bedding kit, slippers, Marimekko amenity kit, headphones and water. I stored my luggage in the overhead locker on the other side of the aisle; AY’s cabin has no central bin, making the area feel even more spacious.

We pushed back slightly behind schedule and took off into the night once again, ready to see our second sunrise in a matter of hours. While the first leg took just over 11 hours, the second one would take less than 8.

Due to our late afternoon departure, dinner service did not start immediately after take-off. Despite having eaten just hours before, and then hours before, and then hours before, I decided to join for dinner and opted for the lamb as one of the three main course options. This was once again tender and nicely presented. On the flight to MEL, the wine list changed to feature more Australian wines. Interestingly, Finnair shipped some 18,000 litres of blueberry juice to Bangkok ahead of this flight to keep the daily service fueled with its signature drink. 

Following the dessert, I got changed again and explored the galley bars, which featured commemorative graphics with the Moomins and a koala celebrating AY’s historic milestone.

I then started a movie, connecting the noise-cancelling headphones for the first time before freshening up and getting ready to sleep some more hours. 

I woke up exactly when our aircraft started flying above Australia, three hours from the destination. Breakfast was served around two hours before landing, and I opted for the scallion omelette, served with fruit, yoghurt, and cold cuts. All in all, throughout the entire experience, four full-sized meals were served.

We finally started our descent into the Australian city on a beautifully crisp Monday morning, touching down on RWY27 and becoming Australia’s most spotted aircraft. Following our arrival at the gate, we were escorted back inside the security area and then onto the tarmac to welcome Santa Claus. While his sleigh may have made the journey, it is easy to understand why he opted for the Airbus A350 on this occasion.

Following speeches from local authorities, Finnair and Melbourne Airport, we sat down with Jim Parashos, Chief of Aviation at Melbourne Airport, in a 1-on-1 interview to discuss the airport’s ongoing renovation plan, ambition to connect to more destinations in the future and celebrate Finnair’s historic milestone.

Finnair has effectively replaced Qantas (QF) on the MEL-BKK route with a better product. As explained by Jim and Andrew Lund, Head of Media and Communications, Australians have been familiar with AY for years and often opted to fly to Helsinki via one of the airline’s hubs in Asia.

Thanks for following our trip report today—it was a true pleasure to board AY145 on this historic day, and make sure to subscribe to our print edition for more insights into Finnair’s service to Australia, coming up in the next issue!