Finnair to open direct route to Hanoi in summer 2013
(Warsaw 4.12.2012) Finnair will begin flying to Hanoi in Vietnam in summer 2013, continuing the airline’s strategic focus on traffic between Asia and Europe. Subject to regulatory approvals, Finnair becomes the only European airline to offer a direct connection from Europe to the dynamic capital of Vietnam with a population of 6.5 million. Starting on June 14, Finnair will begin service to Hanoi from its hub in Helsinki with three frequencies per week. From Helsinki, Finnair offers connections to more than 60 European destinations.
The Hanoi route will be operated during the summer schedule season, which lasts until Oct 27. Finnair is represented in Vietnam by its partner East Sea Travel & Air Service Group.
“We are delighted to be able add Hanoi as our 12th destination in Asia,” says CEO Mika Vehviläinen. “This is yet another important step for Finnair towards our long-term goal of doubling our Asian revenue by 2020."
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.
”We have a two-fold strategy for Poland”, says Wiktor Matuszewski, Client Manager Poland. “First, we want to become the number one choice for Polish passengers to Asia when there is no daily direct service, by offering the best connections via Helsinki. Secondly, we want to offer the best schedules for the business traveller between Warsaw and Finland."
”As Hanoi is both an attractive tourist destination and a growing economic centre, I expect this route to be of interest not only to those travelling for pleasure but also to a growing number of Polish business travellers”, Matuszewski concludes.
Finnair has built on its Asian strategy for 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. The airline's service and timetables are also optimised for transfer traffic. In addition to Hanoi, Finnair operates to Bangkok, Beijing, Chongqing, Delhi, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.
Further information:
Wiktor Matuszewski, Client Manager, +48 601 370 178
Finnair Media Desk, +358 9818 4020, comms@Finnair.com
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Finnair (www.finnair.com) is specialised in fast connections between Europe and Asia via Helsinki. The airline carries more than eight million passengers annually and connects 12 cities in Asia with more than 60 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, operates a modern fleet and is the first airline named to the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. Finnair has also won Skytrax’s World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past three years running. Finnair is a member of oneworld, the leading quality airline alliance.
