Finnair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Finnair

Founded	1 November 1923; 101 years ago (1923-11-01) (as Aero O/Y)
Hubs	Helsinki Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Finnair Plus
Alliance	Oneworld
Subsidiaries	FlyNordic (2003–2007) Finnair Facilities Management Finnair Cargo Finnair Aircraft Finance Finnair Travel Services Nordic Regional Airlines
Fleet size	79 (incl. Nordic Regional Airlines)
Destinations	104
Parent company	Finnair Group
Headquarters	Aviapolis, Vantaa, Finland
Key people	Topi Manner (CEO)
Revenue	EUR 817,3 million (2023)
Operating income	EUR 26.7 million (2023)
Net income	EUR 69.2 million (2023)
Total assets	EUR 3,877 million (2019)
Total equity	EUR 918.5 million (2019)
Employees	5,230 (31 December 2022)

Finnair is the main airline of Finland. It is also the largest airline in the country. Its main base, called a hub, is at Helsinki Airport in Vantaa. Finnair and its smaller companies handle most of the flights in Finland, both inside the country and to other countries. The government of Finland owns more than half of Finnair. Finnair is also part of a group of airlines called Oneworld.

Finnair is one of the oldest airlines in the world that is still flying today. It is known for being one of the safest airlines. Their mottos are Designed for you and The Nordic Way.

History of Finnair

How Finnair Started

Finnair was founded in 1923 by a person named Bruno Lucander. Its first name was Aero O/Y. The airline's code, "AY", comes from this original name. Lucander had worked for another airline before starting Aero O/Y.

In 1923, he made a deal with a German aircraft company called Junkers. They agreed to provide planes and help with technical things. In return, Junkers owned half of the new airline. The company officially started on December 11, 1923. The very first flight was on March 20, 1924. It flew from Helsinki, Finland, to Tallinn, Estonia. The plane used was a Junkers F.13, which could land on water. This type of water plane service stopped in 1936 when the first airports were built in Finland.

During World War II

World War II was a very hard time for Finnair. Cities in Finland were attacked from the air. The Finnish Air Force took half of Finnair's planes to use for the war. During the Winter War in 1939 and 1940, about half of the passengers flying from other Finnish cities were children. These children were being sent to Sweden to be safe.

After the War

After the war, the Finnish government wanted the airline to fly longer routes. So, in 1946, the government bought most of the company. Finnair started flying to Europe again in November 1947. They used Douglas DC-3 planes for these flights. In 1953, the airline officially started using the name Finnair. They also got faster planes called Convair 440s. These planes flew on longer routes, even as far as London.

The Jet Age (1960s and 1970s)

Finnair Sud SE-210 Caravelle 10B3 Super B in 1976

In 1961, Finnair started using jet planes. They added Caravelle jets to their fleet. Later, they got even better versions of these jets. In 1962, Finnair bought a large part of another Finnish airline called Kar-Air. The company's official name became Finnair Oy in 1968.

In 1969, Finnair got its first jet plane made in the United States, a Douglas DC-8. On May 15, 1969, Finnair started its first flights across the Atlantic Ocean to New York. In 1975, Finnair received its first large planes, two DC-10-30s. These planes started flying between Helsinki and New York, and later to Las Palmas.

Growing Bigger (1980s)

Finnair Convair 440 in 1980

In 1981, Finnair added new routes to Seattle and Los Angeles. In April 1983, Finnair made history. It became the first airline to fly non-stop from Western Europe to Japan. These flights went from Helsinki to Tokyo. To do this, Finnair flew directly north over the North Pole and then south through the Bering Strait. This way, they avoided flying over Soviet airspace, which was restricted at the time. The planes were changed to hold extra fuel, and the trip took about 13 hours. This gave Finnair an advantage because other flights took longer.

In 1988, Finnair started a new route from Helsinki to Beijing. This made Finnair the first airline from Western Europe to fly non-stop between Europe and China. In 1989, Finnair was the first airline to order the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 plane. The first one was delivered in December 1990.

Other Airlines and Changes (1990s-2000s)

Finnair's Boeing 757-200 in the appearance of the 1990s

In 1997, two smaller airlines, Kar-Air and Finnaviation, became fully part of Finnair. On September 25, 1997, the company's official name changed to Finnair Oyj.

In 1999, Finnair joined the Oneworld airline alliance. This is a group of airlines that work together. In 2003, Finnair bought a low-cost airline from Sweden called FlyNordic. This airline mostly flew within Scandinavia. Finnair later sold FlyNordic in 2007.

On March 8, 2007, Finnair was the first airline to order the new Airbus A350 XWB aircraft. They ordered 11 of these planes, with deliveries starting in 2015.

Recent Times (2006-Present)

Finnair has faced some challenges, including competition from budget airlines. In 2022, Finnair carried about 2.9 million passengers. This was much less than in 2019 because the COVID-19 pandemic caused many travel restrictions.

Since 2022, Russia closed its airspace because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This meant Finnair had to change many of its flights to Asia. Most of their flights used to fly over Russia because it was the shortest way. Now, they have to fly longer routes, like over the North Pole, just like they did in 1983.

In March 2023, Finnair announced that it would stop domestic flights from Tampere and Turku to Helsinki. Instead, they offer bus services because the distance is short and not many people were flying these routes.

How Finnair Works

Ownership and Companies

Finnair Plc is the main company. Its shares are traded on the Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange. The Finnish government owns a big part of Finnair (55.8%). No other single owner has more than 5% of the shares.

Finnair Cargo

The Finnair Cargo building.

Finnair Cargo handles all of Finnair's cargo (things that are shipped). They use Finnair's planes to carry goods. Finnair Cargo has three main hubs:

• Helsinki Airport: This is their main hub. A new freight terminal opened here in 2017.
• Brussels Airport: They use this as a second hub, working with another company called DHL Aviation.
• London Heathrow Airport: This is their newest hub, where they work with IAG Cargo.

Nordic Regional Airlines

An ATR 72-500 in the N°RRA livery.

Nordic Regional Airlines, also known as Norra, is partly owned by Finnair (40%). Norra uses ATR 72-500 and Embraer 190 planes. These planes are painted in Finnair's colors. Norra has been flying under Finnair's flight code since May 2015.

Head Office

Finnair's head office, House of Travel and Transportation.

In 2013, Finnair opened its new main office building. It is called the House of Travel and Transportation (or "HOTT"). It is located right next to Helsinki Airport. The building is very large, with lots of office space.

Plane Look and Uniforms

A Finnair A319-100 in retro livery.

Plane Design (Livery)

In December 2010, Finnair showed off a new design for its planes. The letters on the plane's body became bigger. The engines were painted white. The tail fin changed to a white background with a blue Finnair logo.

Flight Attendant Uniforms

The current uniforms for flight attendants were designed in 2011. Crew members have stripes on their sleeves to show their rank. One stripe is for regular Cabin Crew, two stripes for Senior Cabin Crew, and three stripes for a Purser (who is in charge). Finnair also asks its cabin crew to wear gloves during take-off and landing for safety.

Partnerships

Finnair works with many other companies and airlines. These include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Deutsche Bahn (DB) (a German train company), JD.com (a Chinese online store), Japan Airlines, and Marimekko (a Finnish design company).

Where Finnair Flies

Finnair flies from its main hub in Helsinki to over 80 places in more than 35 countries. These destinations are in Asia, Europe, and North America. Finnair also flies to six cities in the United States. In the past, Finnair flew to Africa and South America for leisure trips. Finnair also has more than 10 domestic destinations within Finland. The domestic flights are often operated by its partner airline, Nordic Regional Airlines.

In 2021, Finnair started five new routes from Stockholm Arlanda to places like Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, and New York-JFK, Miami, and Los Angeles in the United States. However, these routes have since been stopped.

On February 28, 2022, Russia closed its airspace. This caused many changes to Finnair's flights to Asia. Most of Finnair's flights between Europe and Asia used to fly over Russia because it was the shortest way. To deal with this, on March 9, 2022, Finnair flew from Helsinki to Tokyo Narita by going over the North Pole. Finnair had done this before in 1983, so flying in the polar region was not new for them.

Finnair also added a new route to Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport in 2022. They also brought back flights to Seattle in 2022.

Codeshare Agreements

Finnair has codeshare agreements with many airlines. This means that two or more airlines share the same flight. It allows passengers to book flights on one airline but fly on another.

Joint Ventures

Finnair also has joint venture agreements with some airlines. This is a deeper partnership where airlines work together on routes, sharing costs and profits.

• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Juneyao Air

Finnair's Planes

Current Fleet

As of October 2023, Finnair uses these types of planes:

Gallery of Current Fleet

• Finnair current fleet
• 

  Airbus A319-100

• 

  Airbus A320-200

• 

  Airbus A321-200

• 

  Airbus A330-300

• 

  Airbus A350-900

• 

  Embraer 190 operated by Nordic Regional Airlines

• 

  ATR 72-500

Types of Aircraft

Smaller Planes (Narrow-body)

Finnair uses narrow-body aircraft like the Airbus A319, A320, and A321. These planes are used for flights within Finland and to other European cities. Some A321s are also used for longer flights, like to Dubai. Smaller planes like the ATR 72-500 and Embraer 190 are flown by Nordic Regional Airlines for similar routes.

Airbus A330

Finnair received its first Airbus A330-300 planes in 2009. They now have eight of these planes. These large planes are used for long-distance intercontinental flights from Helsinki to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Doha. Sometimes, A330s are also used for shorter European flights to Brussels and Amsterdam.

Airbus A350

Finnair was one of the first airlines to order the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft in 2007. They received their first A350 in October 2015, becoming the third airline in the world to fly this type of plane. Finnair uses the A350 for many long-haul flights to Asia and North America. These include destinations like Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo. Finnair also sometimes uses the A350 for flights to London–Heathrow to carry extra cargo.

Special Plane Designs

Finnair Airbus A330-300 (OH-LTO) in Marimekko 50th Anniversary "Unikko"-livery.

Finnair has some planes with special paint designs, called liveries. These include designs from Marimekko (a Finnish design company) like "Kivet" and "Unikko." They also have Oneworld alliance liveries and special Christmas "Reindeer" designs. In the past, they had designs featuring Moomins and Angry Birds.

Finnair Plus Program

Finnair Plus is Finnair's frequent flyer program. This means that passengers can earn points when they fly with Finnair or its partners. These points can then be used for free flights, upgrades, or other benefits.

Cabins on Finnair Flights

Business Class

Finnair Airbus A350 Business Class.

Business class is available on all Finnair Airbus planes. On long-haul flights, these seats have personal screens for entertainment. The seats can recline into a flat bed, which is about 78 inches long. In 2022, Finnair introduced new business class seats on its A330s and A350s. These new seats are designed to let passengers choose many different sitting and sleeping positions.

Premium Economy Class

Premium Economy is Finnair's newest class of service. It was added in February 2022. This class is currently available on the Airbus A330s and A350s. It offers more space and comfort than regular Economy class.

In-flight Magazine

Finnair used to publish an English magazine called Blue Wings 10 times a year. It started in 1980 but stopped being printed in 2020. Now, it is available online. However, for Finnair's 100th anniversary in 2023, the Blue Wings magazine was brought back in print.

Protecting the Environment

Finnair is working to be more environmentally friendly. In December 2018, Finnair flights from San Francisco started using sustainable aviation fuel. This type of fuel is better for the environment than traditional jet fuel.

Images for kids

• 

  Gunnar Korhonen, CEO of Finnair from 1960 to 1987

• 

  Finnair McDonnell Douglas MD-87 in 1991

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  Finnair Airbus A300 in 1995

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  Aero Douglas DC-3 from the early 1940s, restored to original livery in Oulu, (2014)

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  Airbus A340-300 in Oneworld livery

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  Boeing 757-200

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  McDonnell Douglas DC-10

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  McDonnell Douglas MD-11

• 

  McDonnell Douglas MD-82

See also

In Spanish: Finnair para niños