Finnair has announced that it is suspending flights to Osaka and Hong Kong until the end of April 2022 as a result of the closure of the Russian airspace.
Suspension
Helsinki-based Finnair has announced the suspension of flights to/from Osaka in Japan and Hong Kong as a result of the closure of the Russian airspace. The airline continues to serve Seoul and Shanghai with a longer flight time as it is avoiding the Russian airspace. Finnair states that it took the decision to continue flights to Seoul and Shanghai as a result of the strong cargo demand.
Starting this week i.e. from 10th March 2022, Finnair will operate once-weekly flight to Shanghai on Thursdays and as of 12th March 2022, the airline will operate 3-flights-a-week to Seoul on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flight routes avoid Russian airspace, and the flight time for the Shanghai and Seoul routes will be 12-14 hours, depending on the direction. Both routes go around the Russian airspace from the south, and the return flight from Seoul to Helsinki can also take the northern route.
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Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair, said:
We strive to offer our customers connections between Europe and Asia to the extent it is possible in this challenging situation. We understand how frustrating the situation is to our customers and are very sorry about the inconvenience and trouble the flight changes are causing them.
Avoiding the Russian airspace on flights between Europe and Asia has considerable impacts on flight times, thus impacting fuel, personnel, and navigation costs.
Finnair announced earlier this week that it will continue to fly to Tokyo, going around the Russian airspace, with 4-flights-a-week as of 9th March 2022. The Finnish carrier also continues to fly to Bangkok, Delhi, Phuket, and Singapore, with routes avoiding the Russian airspace.
The airline states that it informs the impacted passengers personally via email and text messages of changes to their flights. Passengers can then either change the travel date or seek a refund, if they don’t want to use an alternative flight or if re-routing is not available.
Meanwhile, Finnair recently unveiled new Premium Economy Cabin and enhanced Business Class Cabin.
Featured image by Finnair
What do you think of Finnair continuing flights to Seoul and Shanghai and suspending flights to Osaka and Hong Kong? Let me know in the comments section below.
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