This week Finnair begins flying to Hanoi and Xi’an, further sharpening the airline’s strategic focus on transfer traffic between Asia and Europe. Currently the only European carrier offering direct connections between the two cities and Europe, Finnair also offers fast and efficient transfers to more than 60 European destinations via its Helsinki hub. Finnair will operate service to both cities three times a week throughout the summer schedule season, until October 26 for Xi’an and October 27 for Hanoi.
“This week marks an important milestone in Finnair’s 90 years of history, as we build on a legacy of building better connections between Europe and Asia and bring our total number of Asian destinations to 13,” says CEO Pekka Vauramo. “Strong economic growth in China and Vietnam, combined with a growing appetite for outbound travel from both destinations, are driving our strategic focus on Asian traffic. There continue to be many exciting opportunities for growth in the East.”
Finnair has gradually built on its Asian strategy during the past two decades, taking advantage of the geographical position of its Helsinki hub on the shortest routes between the great cities of Asia and more than 60 European destinations. In addition to Xi’an and Hanoi, Finnair operates to Bangkok, Beijing, Chongqing, Delhi, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. The airline's service and timetables are optimised for transfer traffic.
Finnair is the first airline to provide Xi’an with direct connections to Europe, and also the only European airline currently serving Hanoi.
About Xi’an
Located in central-northwest China, Xi´an is a metropolis of about 8 million people and a growing centre in the development of China’s aerospace and software industries. The city is also an ancient imperial capital and an historic cradle of Chinese civilisation. The world-famous Terracotta Army, the vast collection of burial sculptures found around the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, is located about 40 km to the east of the city centre.
About Hanoi
As a centre of higher education and R&D in the region, Hanoi is forecasted to have the world’s fastest growing economy between the years 2008-2025 (source: PricewaterhouseCoopers). The city is also noted for its historic Old Quarter, French colonial architecture, and pilgrimage site Chua Huong, a network of Buddhist temples and shrines carved out of the limestone hills and tropical forests around Huong Mountain. Near Hanoi is Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its thousands of limestone isles.
About Finnair
Finnair is specialised in fast connections between Europe and Asia via Helsinki. The airline carries more than eight million passengers annually and connects 13 cities in Asia with more than 60 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, operates a young, modern fleet and was the first airline named to the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. The only Nordic carrier with a 4-star Skytrax ranking, Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past three years running. Finnair is a member of the oneworld alliance.
More information: Finnair Media Desk, tel +358 9818 4020, comms@finnair.com
Images of Xi´an and Hanoi: https://gallery.finnair.com/section/images/destinations/