Finnair aims at positioning Helsinki as a European hub

Mumbai: Finnair has reinstated its commitment to the Indian market by recently announcing that it is restarting its operations to Mumbai from October 18, 2009. The airline has also laid out plans to further strengthen its position in this market. The airline’s strategy is to become a major carrier between Europe and Asia while positioning Helsinki as a European hub.
Talking to TravelBiz Monitor, Kari Stolbow, Director - Indian Subcontinent, Finnair said, “India is a challenging market. When we pulled out our operations from the Mumbai route, we were sure to return as there is lot of potential in this market. We will be starting the services on Mumbai route with three flights a week and will consider increasing the frequencies depending on the load factor.” He mentioned that like any expanding carrier in India, the airline will also be evaluating key routes and South India is prominent on their radar. However, no timeline was given for the same.
Stolbow informed that the airline is focused on targeting business and leisure travellers from India. The new flights from Mumbai have been scheduled for the morning slot, which will benefit the business travellers. Finnair is in the process of acquiring a new fleet of A330 aircraft.
14/09/09 Charmaine Fernz/TravelBizMonitor

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Categories: Foreign Sep 2009