Finnair was one of the most heavily impacted airlines by the closing of Russian air space earlier in 2022. The Finnish airline operated an extensive network of flights in the far east. A wide chunk of its business model is based on offering convenient connections between Europe and the far east. With Russian air space no longer accessible the airline had to rethink many of its operations. However in 2023 Finnair will be powering up its flight to Japan and some other Asian destinations. Let’s take a closer look at what will change in the Finnair schedule in 2023.
Finnair Adding Flights to Osaka and Tokyo
Anticipating another strong summer season the Finnish flag carrier is powering up operations to one of its main destinations in Asia: Japan.
The airline will increase its presence in Japanese airports starting march 2023. Finnair will resume flights to Osaka while it will increase frequency and capacity on flights to Tokyo.
The Helsinki Osaka flight operating with number AY67, will operate with a 3 times weekly frequency starting March 26 2023. The schedule will be as follows:
| Flight | From | To | Departs | Arrives | AC | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AY67 | Helsinki (HEL) | Osaka (KIX) | 17:45 | 12:35+1 | A350-900 | Wed, Fri, Sun |
| AY68 | Osaka (KIX) | Helsinki (HEL) | 22:25 | 05:30 | A350-900 | Mon, Thu, Sat |
Although Finnair operates flights on a daily basis to Tokyo Haneda airport during the summer season, Finnair will commence operations to the other airport serving the Japanese capital: Narita. Flights to Narita from Helsinki will have a 4 times weekly frequency and will start on March 27th 2023 with the following schedule:
| Flight | From | To | Departs | Arrives | AC | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AY73 | Helsinki (HEL) | Tokyo (NRT) | 17:45 | 13:05+1 | A350-900 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat |
| AY74 | Tokyo (NRT) | Helsinki (HEL) | 23:05 | 05:55 | A350-900 | Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun |
Flying the Airbus A350
Finnair’s fleet of long range Airbus A350-900s will fly both these routes. At the moment it seems that both AY73 and AY67 will be served by A350-900s configured in a 2 class layout.
These planes are quite new averaging out to just over 5 years of age. They are also constructed in carbon composite materials making breathing easier on board and reducing the side effects of jetlag.
Other Finnair Asian Operational Changes in 2023
On a side note the Finnish flag carrier will also increase the frequency of its flights to Hong Kong and New Delhi. During summer 2023 these destinations will be served by a daily connection to Helsinki’s international airport.
