On April 21, Finnair held a ceremony at Narita Airport to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its service to Japan.
The company’s Japan route began on April 23, 1983, with a flight to Narita. At that time, European routes were generally via Anchorage or the Middle East, but by adding fuel tanks to the Douglas DC-10, the company was able to offer nonstop long-haul flights, making it the shortest and fastest direct flight between Japan and Europe.
Before the Corona disaster, Finnair alone operated 34 flights a week and JAL, with which it has a joint venture, operated 7 flights a week, for a total of 41 flights on the Helsinki route, making it one of the largest routes from Japan to Europe. (JAL has five flights a week).
Mr. Noriaki Nagahara, Japan Branch Manager, explained the situation by saying that Asian hubs such as Japan, South Korea, and China are flying on a roundabout route to avoid Russian airspace, which has a strong impact on aircraft and costs, and that Japan is still affected by the negative sentiment toward overseas travel, suggesting that it will take time to return to the pre-Corona level of operations. He also noted that it will take more time to return to the pre-Corona level of flight operations.
During the ceremony, Mr. Nagahara also noted that Finnair will celebrate its 100th anniversary in November. Finnair is the sixth oldest airline in existence, and he said, “I hope that over the next 10 to 100 years, our wings in the national colors of blue and white will be loved by everyone more and more, and that the traffic between Japan and Europe, and between Japan and Finland, will become more active.
© Source travel watch