Finnair reiterates Asian focus

Finnair has entered the “next phase” of its 10-year strategy, which is focused on driving more traffic on Asian routes.

In 2010, the airline outlined its intention to double its Asian traffic by 2020, using its Helsinki base as a hub for passengers connecting between destinations in Europe and Asia. And for the next phase of its plan, running from 2015-17, Finnair said it will focus on “intercontinental growth with [a] Northeast Asia focus”.

“The core of Finnair’s strategy is taking advantage of the growing demand for traffic between Europe and Asia,” the company said in a statement. “The strategy is based on the growing markets in Asia, fast connections between Europe and Northeast Asia, quality service, and cost-efficient, punctual operations.

“Helsinki’s geographical location provides Finnair with a natural competitive advantage, as the fastest routes between many destinations in Europe and megacities in Asia go through Helsinki,” it added.

Finnair will continue to enhance its Asian operations later this year, with the deployment of its brand new Airbus A350 aircraft to several destinations in the region, including Shanghai, Beijing, Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong.