Airbus | Finland Australia Chamber of Commerce Inc

Finnair celebrates its 90th anniversary on Friday, 1 November 2013. The world’s fifth-oldest airline still in operation, Finnair was established in 1923. Today, Finnair specialises in flights between Europe and Asia, offering direct connections from Helsinki to over 60 European destinations and 13 Asian destinations. Over eight million passengers per year fly on Finnair’s modern Airbus fleet.

“We build on a legacy of building better connections between Europe and Asia and our vision of doubling our Asian revenue by 2020″, says CEO Pekka Vauramo.

Finnair will celebrate its 90 years of flying in various ways. As one of the special events to mark its jubilee year, Finnair will distribute a special Finnair-themed edition of the Donald Duck comic book to all passengers on long-haul flights on Friday, 1 November. Finnair has also commissioned a special batch of posters by Finnish graphic designer Erik Bruun to celebrate its 90th anniversary.

As part of the jubilee year, Finnair has renewed its service concept and now uses tableware and textiles designed by Marimekko for Finnair on all flights in both Business and Economy Class. In addition, Finnair launched cooperation with two renowned Finnish chefs, Pekka Terävä and Tomi Björck, in September. The entertainment systems of Finnair’s aircraft have also been upgraded, nearly doubling the selection of entertainment on long-haul flights with 72 films and over 150 television programmes available in both Business and Economy class.

Finnair is harmonising its fleet and became the first airline to take delivery of the new Airbus 321 Sharklet aircraft in September. Finnair is also installing new, fully reclining seats in most of its long-haul fleet from January 2014 onwards.

In spring 2014, Finnair will open a new Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport. The Premium Lounge will be located next to the existing Finnair Lounge between gates 36 and 37 in the non-Schengen area and will complement its services. As part of the renewal, a sauna and private showers will be opened between the lounges, and a new tax free shop will be opened in front of the existing Finnair Lounge.

Finnair has received international recognition in its anniversary year: Finnair became the first airline to be selected in the Leadership Index of the global Carbon Disclosure Project on carbon dioxide emissions. Finnair is also the only Nordic airline to be awarded four stars by Skytrax, and it has been named Northern Europe’s Best Airline at the World Airline Awards for the last four years. In addition, it was recently named Best European Airline at the annual TTG Travel Awards. Finnair is a member of oneworld alliance, which is formed by the world’s leading airlines.

Follow Finnair’s historic journey by watching special videos celebrating the airline’s 90th anniversary at www.youtube.com/finnair

Finnair will install new full flat seats in most of its existing long haul aircraft beginning in January 2014. Once the installation program is completed by autumn 2014, all of Finnair’s long haul Airbus fleet will have full flat seats in Business Class, with the exception of three older aircraft. These three aircraft will be the first to be removed from the fleet with the arrival of A350 XWBs in 2015. The total investment, including replacement investments, is approximately 29 million euros.

“The full flat experience has been very well received by customers in Business Class,” says Anssi Komulainen, Finnair’s Senior Vice President, Customer Service. “We believe that the key to Finnair’s success in a very competitive market is to differentiate on service, and this substantial investment in the comfort of passengers helps us in this long-term aim. Full flat seats are the new standard for quality-conscious customers, and for Finnair.”

The Contour Aerospace Vantage model seats selected by Finnair are already in use on the airline’s four newest Airbus A330s. The seats are designed to provide a fully-flat bed of up to 200 cm (79”), while shoulder room measures 58 cm (23”). The fully adjustable seats also come with an individual reading light, adjustable head rest, mood lights and a range of inflight entertainment options.

The move to full flat seats is the latest in Finnair’s ongoing series of renewals and upgrades in the customer experience. In October 2012, the airline announced a design collaboration with Finnish design house Marimekko, whose textiles and tableware will bring a light and fresh visual dimension to aircraft interiors starting in spring 2013. A revamp of meal choices is also underway in both cabin classes.

Finnair currently operates 15 long haul Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft in its fleet, serving a network of 13 destinations in Asia. A further 11 Airbus A350 XWBs (with an option for 8 more) are due to arrive beginning in H2 2015, which will help the airline double its revenue from Asian destinations by 2020. Finnair will be the first European airline to fly with the state of the art A350.

A rich history, a brilliant future – Finnair celebrates its 90th anniversary

Finnair to add full flat seats across its long haul fleet