FINLAND: Finnair Steady Growth

Finnair Chief Executive Officer, Topi Manner, started his speech by stating that the goal of the carrier now is to deliver sustainable, profitable growth, as the airline moves forward from its previous phase of accelerated growth.

Finnair, while it’s home market is fairly small, as Finland only has more than 5.5 million people living in the country, the airline and its main hub, Helsinki Vantaa Airport (HEL), became a connecting point between Europe and Asia.

We are also a big, small airline in a sense that we are big enough to do things, we are small enough to get them implemented, the airline’s CEO said, adding that we are agile, we are known to have made courageous and determined decisions.

Like the decision to become the launch customer for the Airbus A350 in Europe. Previously, Finnair also became the global launch customer of the ATR 72 and the MD-11.

Some of these bold decisions are also to be made going forward, notes Manner. So, where does Finnair go next

Helsinki (HEL) became a connecting point between Europe and Asia for Finnair and it would further strengthen ties between Finland and Asia, as the shortest northern route is available due to the optimal geographical position of Helsinki, the airline’s CEO stated.

In the past five years, Manner noted, Finnair doubled its capacity to Asia. Interestingly enough, 50% of the carrier’s revenues come from transfer passengers, while local traffic contributes 30%. 73% of the transferring passengers are from Asia, the airline’s data shows.

And Finnair plans to grow further in the continent by focusing on Asian megacities, such as Beijing, China or Tokyo, Japan, where the company plans to further increase frequencies, rather than adding more destinations in Asia.

Its current business model allows it to be placed between the giant airlines on one hand and low-cost carriers on the other hand, Manner says.

But low-cost carriers, namely Norwegian Air Shuttle, offer no resistance to Finnair in Scandinavia the only two destinations the long-haul low-cost carrier serves are Thailand, namely Bangkok (BKK) and Krabi (KBV), meaning Finnair has absolutely no pressure from the lower price point.

The only other local competitor in Northern Europe is Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), which flies to Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo.

The Finnish airline announced that it would introduce Premium Economy class cabin to further diversify its product on board in 2020. Finnair’s costs in fuel have been growing faster than its revenues, the company’s presentation highlighted, with the former growing by 6.1% since 2014, while the latter has grown 5.5% since 2018.

A premium economy cabin would allow Finnair to cater to the demand of the passengers and offer more comfort, as the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience, Piia Karhu, has highlighted by stating that over 50% of leisure and business class passengers responded that they would very likely or extremely likely travel on the newest cabin offering.

For Finnair itself, Premium Economy makes for very valuable real estate, Karhu said, as the airline is able to sell Premium Economy seats from one and a half to two times higher than basic economy prices, improving yields.

The airline plans to invest between $3.8-4.4 billion (€3.5-4 billion) into its fleet and other assets until 2025. Some of that investment would go into the growth, but most of it would be dedicated to the replacement of its aging fleet.

The average age of Finnair’s 83 aircraft is 10.2 years, with its narrow-body fleet, especially the Airbus A319 (eight aircraft) and the Airbus A320 (10 aircraft), being by far the oldest aircraft that the carrier operates, with an average age of 18.6 and 17.4 per aircraft, respectively.

As of October 30, 2019, Finnair only has five Airbus A350 aircraft on order and no other jets planned, Airbus Order and Deliveries file states.

Over the next six years, the Helsinki-based company plans to operate 100 aircraft in total, with approximately 30 of those being wide-bodies.

Ole Orvér, the Chief Commercial Officer of the company, did not specify any concrete plans about Finnair’s future fleet, however, stated that while the airline was happy with its current narrow-body fleet, not necessarily the same could be said in the future.

Going forward, we will have something that brings low cost, efficient operations and of course a customer proposition that works, Orver said, but whether Finnair will switch to a single type of short-haul aircraft, he was reluctant to answer, stating that it is purely down to price.

During 2019, the airline announced new partnerships with Fiji Airways and China Southern Airlines to further increase capacity and route offerings into Asia, including its existing oneworld alliance agreements with Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and Qantas.

Furthermore, the Finnish carrier plans to operate more than 100 weekly flights to Asia in Summer 2020. Newest destinations in 2019 include Beijing’s newest airport, Daxing International (PKX), Sapporo, Japan (CTS), while Busan, South Korea (PUS) and Haneda International Airport (HND) in Tokyo, Japan are set to be inaugurated in March 2020.

Currently, the airline has two main time banks when long-haul flights depart, between 5 and 10 AM and between 3 and 7 PM, with some flights departing around midnight.

In 2020, Finnair plans to offer midday departures, to allow smoother connections for transferring passengers. Following the expanded time banks, the airline will utilize its assets in a more efficient way, notes Ole Orvér.

All in all, Finnair’s goals are clear as the snow up in Lapland – expanding into the ever-growing Asian market and securing crucial slots and time windows to land or depart from the busiest airports in the region.

Finnair will hold the monopoly on direct flights between Busan, PUS and Sapporo for now, as no other European airline serves these two Asian cities.

However, the question remains how sustainable this model is long-term, even if the airline secures the limited capacity into the future, as current industry trends are shying away from the hub-and-spoke model and instead focusing on point-to-point traffic.

Nevertheless, the current conditions that Finnair operates in, including its top of the line wide-body fleet of 14 Airbus A350 and eight Airbus A330 aircraft, allows it to be the dominant airline on the Siberian air corridor, a crucial junction between Europe, China and Japan.

The fact that most of its passenger revenues come from transferring travelers, mitigates the risk of low-cost carriers putting a strain on the airline’s earnings on intra-European flights, as passengers are fed through its hub in Helsinki to connect either to or from Asia.

UNITED KINGDOM: TUI Airways Connects To Malaysia And Thailand

TUI Airways added 10 new routes to its schedule in the past few weeks including new long-haul links to Langkawi (LGK) in Malaysia and Utapao (UTP) in Thailand, from each of Birmingham (BHX), London Gatwick (LGW) and Manchester (MAN).

These six long-haul connections are all operated once every two weeks. The other four routes, including services from Dublin (DUB) to Salzburg (SZG) and Toulouse (TLS), from Gatwick to Lyon (LYS) and from London Luton (LTN) to Chambery (CMF), are not available for booking on the airline’s website, suggesting they are part of ski-season charter programmes.

The longest sector amongst TUI Airways’ 10 new routes is the 10,223-kilometre connection from Manchester to Langkawi, while the shortest is the 715-kilometre link from Gatwick to Lyon.

There is no direct competition on the six new long-haul sectors, but three of the four European airport pairs are already served by other carriers.

TUI Airways, formerly Thomson Airways and often referred to as TUI UK, is the world's largest charter airline, offering scheduled and charter flights from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.

The airline carried 11.2 million passengers in 2017, making it the third-largest UK airline by total passengers, after EasyJet and British Airways.

The registered office is at the TUI Travel House in Crawley, West Sussex but its head office is located in Wigmore House in Luton, Bedfordshire.

TUI Airways Limited holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licence permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.

The airline was formed following the merger of the travel division of TUI AG and First Choice Holidays plc in September 2007 to form TUI Travel.

The two companies' respective airlines, Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways, were merged under the former's Air Operator's Certificate in May 2008 and were rebranded as Thomson Airways on 1 November 2008.

TUI Travel merged with TUI AG to form TUI Group in December 2014.

TUI Airways officially changed its legal name from Thomson Airways to TUI Airways on 2 October 2017. This was in line with sister companies TUI fly Belgium, TUI fly Deutschland, TUI fly Netherlands and TUI fly Nordic.

All airlines in the group, excluding Corsair International, are now rebranded to TUI.

On 13 May 2015, it was announced by the TUI Group that all five of TUI's airline subsidiaries will be named TUI, whilst keeping their separate Air Operators Certificate, taking over three years to complete.

TUI Airways was the last airline to be completed in late 2017. The rebrand began in mid-2016, with the addition of the new 'TUI' titles to its fleet.

In December 2016, Thomson Holidays launched their final television advertisement using the Thomson brand, before integrating into the TUI brand.During the rebrand in 2017, the TOMSON call sign was dropped and replaced with TUI AIR.

In May 2017, the brand TUI Airways began to be used in several areas and was implemented on all flight tracker applications. Most of the aircraft had been branded with TUI titles and onboard items such as glasses and napkins carried the new brand.

Thomson Airways officially changed its legal name to TUI Airways on 2 October 2017.[ TUI's sister company, TUI UK (formerly Thomson Holidays), has ceased using the Thomson brand, adopting the TUI UK brand on 18 October 2017.

The airline's head office is in the Wigmore House near Luton, Bedfordshire. The facility is adjacent to Luton Airport.

Most scheduled flights operated by TUI Airways are on behalf of tour operators. The airline offers flights to destinations around the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean from 19 base airports in the United Kingdom.

Additionally, seasonal charter routes are served from Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm.

TUI Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:

- Boeing 737-800: 26

- Boeing 737 MAX 8: 2

- Boeing 757-200: 13

- Boeing 767-300ER: 4

- Boeing 787-8: 8

- Boeing 787-9: 4

- Total: 57


Tourism Observer

UAE: Flydubai To Commence Direct Flights To Helsinki From 11 October 2018

Flydubai has announced the launch of direct flights to Helsinki.

The daily service will start from 11 October 2018. Flydubai becomes the first airline to offer a year-round service between Dubai and Helsinki.

The carrier will operate the new route on its brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with flat-bed in Business Class and enhanced Economy Class offering.

The Helsinki route will be code shared with Emirates as part of the Emirates’ and Flydubai’s partnership.

Dubai airlines reveal strong passenger numbers for first six months of tie-up.

Emirates and flydubai revealed on Monday strong passenger numbers for the first six months of their partnership.

The first codeshare flights began at the end of October and between November 2017 and this March, over 400,000 passengers have taken advantage of the partnership and more than 250,000 passengers have already planned their trip for the year ahead, a statement said.

The partnership initially began with codeshare flights to 29 cities, and this has since expanded to meet growing demand.

Emirates currently flies to 141 passenger destinations.

Last year, the airline launched new passenger routes to Newark via Athens, Zagreb and Phnom Penh, and later this year, Emirates will begin services to London Stansted and Santiago de Chile.

flydubai currently flies to a total of 97 destinations, 80 of which are not served by Emirates, bringing the total combined network offering to 206 unique destinations.

Both Dubai-based airlines said they will continue to offer customers greater choice and flexibility across their networks, with codeshares to more than 90 destinations today.

New codeshare flights recently launched include Krakow, Dubrovnik and Kinshasa with more destinations expected in the coming months such as Catania from June 13, Thessaloniki from June 15 and Helsinki from October 11.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saaed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Group and chairman of flydubai, said: We’re really pleased with how well the Emirates and flydubai partnership is going – based on bookings and the feedback from our customers and trade partners.

We have seen a strong demand for travel on combined Emirates-flydubai itineraries from Europe and the United States to the Middle East and West Asian destinations.


Tourism Observer

PERU: Visiting Machu Picchu New Rules Introduced

In order to ensure the adequate flow of tourist visits to the sanctuary of Machu Picchu, the Decentralized Culture Bureau of Cusco ordered that, from July 1, 2017, all the articles of the “Regulation on Sustainable Use and Tourist Visit for the Conservation of the Llaqta or Inca City of Machupicchu” will be effective .

Two entry periods have been established for the visits: the first one will run from 06:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the second, from 12:00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

In case a visitor wishes to visit the citadel throughout the day, two tickets must be purchased, one for each period.

The use of a tour guide will be mandatory. The guides will be able to attend a maximum of groups of 16 people.

The guides will deliver a ticket that will serve tourists who wish to re-enter Machu Picchu the next day to be shown at the entrance of the citadel.

It should be noted that tickets that have been booked and purchased until May 2 for the months between July and December will not have restrictions on the entry and exit.

This implementation responds to compliance with the “Regulation on Sustainable Use and Tourist Visit for the Conservation of the Llaqta or Inca City of Machupicchu”, approved by Ministerial Resolution No. 070-2017 of the Ministry of Culture.

The 2017 edition of the prestigious World Travel Awards South America will be held on September 9 in the Riviera Maya of Mexico and has 41 nominations for our country.

In total there are 31 nominations for the private sector - hotels, cruises, airports and travel agencies - and ten as a country, among which we highlight our capital as Best Destination for Meetings and Conferences, Best Sports Destination or Best Travel Destination of business.

Likewise, our country competes as Best Culinary Destination - a reward we have obtained for five consecutive years - Best Green Destination, Best Cultural Destination and Best Adventure Destination.

Voting for this award can be made until July 19.

The winners of the South American edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA) will compete in the worldwide edition of these awards, to be held on December 10 in Phu Quoc, Vietnam.

Peru is again in the eyes of the world!

The National Geographic Traveler Magazine of the United Kingdom has placed it within the five destinations to visit in 2017. The competition was tough, managing to impose itself among tourist places like Donegal, Greenland, Helsinki and Santiago.

This year has been very noticeable for Peru in the tourist area, after the BBC of the United Kingdom broadcast documentaries on the Peruvian Amazon and the fortress of Kuélap, being seen by millions of spectators.

Also, a new direct flight from London to Lima by British Airways was inaugurated.

National Geographic Magazine highlighted Peruvian gastronomy, tourist attractions such as Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the modern world, and Kuélap, known for being built on top of a high mountain in Chachapoyas.

Those in charge of this list are the editors and writers of the magazine, who were fascinated with Peruvian culture and cuisine.

FINLAND: Visit Åland Islands

While there is plenty to do in Helsinki-proper, savvy travellers to Finland should consider escaping the hubbub of the city with a trip the Åland Islands.

Situated half-way between the Finnish city of Turku and Swedish capital Stockholm, the destination is that rarest of travel curiosities - an undiscovered gem.

Well, at least to those living outside of Scandinavia.

Officially part of Finland, but self-governed and Swedish speaking, Åland is a community of nearly 30,000 people spread over 20,000 islands, only 6,000 of which are named.

It is something of a tourism paradise, with everything from wholesome outdoor pursuits such as cycling, canoeing, sport fishing and even skiing, to more sedate sailing, free-camping and golf on offer.

Visitors must simply choose what they wish to do - as much or as little as they like.

Visiting in early April this year, I arrived via Åland-based Viking Line, which was an adventure in itself.

Sailing from the Katajanokka harbour on the edge of Helsinki, it is a near 12 hour journey to Mariehamn, the capital of Åland.

While that might sound like a series voyage, time on board ship flies by.

Conditions are comfortable - think cruise ship rather than ferry - with a double bed, shower, television and ample space in the private cabins.

A porthole also offers a window out onto the passing world.

Sailing is remarkably smooth: I left a pile of coins standing on my bedside dresser and they were undisturbed when I woke the following day.

On deck there are plenty of bars and restaurants on offer, while a kids club keeps the little ones entertained.

For dinner, I chose to eat at the buffet, which seemed to be the most popular option.

It is easy to see why, with delicious red meats, fine fish, caviar and unchecked wine and beer all included in the price.

Considering it is €8 a pint in Helsinki, a serious drinker can cover the cost of the trip in the two hour window allowed before the next sitting.

All too quickly it was over and while it seemed the karaoke bar was just getting started, I thought it wise to head for bed at around 23:00, mindful of the 04:00 start the next day.

Prices on Viking Line are very affordable, with fares effectively subsidies by the low-cost duty free on sale in the shops on board.

Mariehamn has a strong nautical heritage

Arriving at Mariehamn I made the five minute journey to Arkipelag Hotel.

A smart, modern property, it offers both excellent views over the sea and easy access to the centre of the town.

Revived after a quick nap, the first stop on the agenda was the Åland Maritime Museum.

Tracing the nautical heritage of Åland, the exhibition does an excellent job conjuring up a sea-salted past.

The museum reveals the great wealth the islands have drawn from the sea through the ages, while also telling the tales of those who lost their lives to the ocean.

A must see for any visit to Åland.

Other highlights in Mariehamn include the Åland Islands Art Museum and the Cultural History Museum of Åland, both of which trace the heritage of the destination.

The Åland Islands are a haven for adventurous travellers

But it is out in the countryside Åland really comes alive, and meeting Annica Grönlund from Visit Åland, we head off to explore.

“Rush hour is from four until five past four,” she explains, as we drive along the nearly clear roads.

Our first destination is HavsVidden, a luxurious hotel and conference centre on the northern coast overlooking the Baltic Sea.

It is here you can really see the attraction of Åland.

Private houses are dotted along the cliff, with each offering a unique sanctuary from which to enjoy the destination.

Guests can relax in the bathhouse for a while or in the famous Finnish sauna, stroll along the pier, or warm themselves in a wood fire heated bath.

There is a real feeling of closeness to nature; while modern technology is seamlessly blended into the accommodations to create a wonderful hybrid.

A great place to take friends for a weekend break in order to truly escape from the world.

Get close to nature at HavsVidden

On route to our next stop, I learn the story of Åland’s Champagne harvest.

Nearly a decade ago, some 145 bottles of the French wine dating from the 1840s were discovered in a shipwreck in Föglö, in an outer archipelago of the islands.

Owing to the constant temperature, dark surroundings and pressure, the Champagne was in excellent condition, with each bottle uncorked, tasted and classified by expert Richard Juhlin.

The man who made this discovery - Christian Ekström - now runs the Stallhagen brew pub, which offers a fantastic range of beers.

Most famous is an ale recreated from five bottles of beer lifted from the Föglö shipwreck along with the Champagne.

Analysed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, it has been reproduced to modern standards; with this ‘wreck beer’ now on offer to connoisseurs.

Find freedom on a private island in Åland

Of course, with so many islands uninhabited, visitors can seek out a completely private retreat.

Sviskär, for example, offers sublime relaxation on a ‘hermit island’.

Made from red granite rock, the island has a small forest lake where the water lilies flower, a meadow with many types of wildflowers, and red buildings that have been modernised with a gentle touch.

In the heart of Silverskärs lies a fisherman cottage where people lived a simple archipelago life until the 1950s.

This is now on offer to holidaymakers looking for a unique break, and is a great place to literally get away from it all.

For something a little less remote, although still very much in tune with nature, Sandosund offers both an excellent camp site, as well as both a hotel and private lodges.

It is a great place from which to explore the surrounding area, on bikes, kayaks or even on foot.

Ask about the floating, wood fired sauna for the most authentic Finnish experience.

Åland is a collection of nearly 20,000 islands in the Baltic Sea

With so much to see, guests will need more than the one day I had in Åland, many more.

But before boarding the boat back to Helsinki, there was time to enjoy a quick drink in downtown Mariehamn.

No matter the destination, however remote, there will be an Irish bar, and Åland is no exception, with Molly’s floating serenely in the Baltic on the edge of town.

For something a bit more local, try F.P. von Knorring or Kvarter 5.

Time to leave and I made the journey back to board the Viking Line to Helsinki.

While it might seem to be a little remote, Åland is actually a nexus between Stockholm, Tallinn and Helsinki, offering a world of adventure in a pocket sized space.

FINILAND: Helsinki Named 2nd Safest City In The world.

Finland attracted over 4,6 million tourists in 2015, with most coming from Russia.

In 2013 the value added by tourism was about 2.5% of the Finnish GDP, and provided around 136 700 jobs.

Finland is famous for its many lakes, nearly 200,000 of them larger than 500 m²/0.12 acres.

Tampere is the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland with other major cities being Jyväskylä, Mikkeli, Lahti, Joensuu, Lappeenranta, Kuopio and Savonlinna.

Finland is also known to have excellent water quality, and green deep woods and forests around the sea, rivers, and the waterways.

In wintertime Finland provides opportunities for cross-country skiing and alpine skiing.

Many of the popular ski resorts are situated north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland, but there are exceptions like Kuusamo in the northeastern part of Oulu Province and Himos in Jämsä, only 200 km North from Helsinki.

Santa Claus is commonly known to live on Korvatunturi in Finland. In the town of Rovaniemi there is the Santa Claus Village for tourists to visit.

Moomin World in the outskirts of Naantali is a theme park based on Tove Jansson child books about the Moomin.

Museums in Finland
- National Museum of Finland
- Museum of Finnish Architecture
- Finnish Museum of Natural History
- Finnish National Gallery
- Military Museum of Finland
- Finnish Railway Museum – Hyvinkaa
- Jokioinen Museum Railway

In the winter there is a large snowcastle with an Ice hotel built every year in the northern town of Kemi. Rovaniemi is a place from which to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern lights.

Tourists in the north of the country in winter often enjoy trips in reindeer sleighs with Sami drivers, or in dog sleighs.

It is also possible to ski, with downhill resorts at Saariselkä and Levi, and many cross country ski tracks throughout the northern part of the country.

Ice hockey is a popular sport in winter, and it is possible to go ice yachting, or ice skating on the ice. Most lakes are also frozen, so ice fishing (pilkkiminen) is quite popular.

Helsinki, Finland's capital and largest city, receives many visitors year-round.

During the summertime thousands of tourists approach Helsinki by cruising boats travelling across the Baltic Sea. Helsinki is known as a clean, modern and safe meeting point between the east and west.

Other popular tourist destinations within Finland include Jyväskylä, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Rovaniemi and Porvoo.

Helsinki is relatively small and intimate but lively and bustling. The nearby islands are its summer delights.

Because Helsinki is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea and has many kilometres of coastline, most of its central districts are near the seaside. Helsinki is a very maritime city and is popularly called the daughter of the Baltic.

Helsinki's coastal position makes it ideal to experience in the summertime from one of the many sightseeing ferries leaving from the port of Helsinki.

Many of Helsinki's main attractions are also related to the sea, including the Suomenlinna naval fortress (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and the Seurasaari Island with its parks and open-air museum.

Locals often spend sunny days at the Hietaniemi beach (often simply called Hietsu), Helsinki's main beach in the district of Töölö.

In the winter-time Helsinki's northern position makes it dark for most of the day, thus making it a cosy town with much interesting lighting, such as the classic Aleksanterinkatu's Christmas street (Joulukatu).

During the coldest months of the winter it is very common for Helsinkians to go for walks on the frozen sea, although much caution must be taken.

There are also many places for ice swimming along the coast, some with saunas.

Air travel to Helsinki is via the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, situated in the neighbouring town of Vantaa, a town part of Greater Helsinki.

Helsinki also has popular cruiseferry links with Stockholm, Sweden and hydrofoil and catamaran links to Tallinn, Estonia.

Silja, Viking and Tallink are the biggest ferry operators.

Helsinki is also the home of the Linnanmäki amusement park, which features five rollercoasters and many other rides, including the world's first Intamin ZacSpin rollercoaster.

Helsinki is a safe city for tourists and a safe place in which to live. In terms of personal safety, Helsinki has been named 2nd safest city in the world.

Helsinki has also efficient tourist information system maintained by the City of Helsinki Tourism & Convention Bureau located in the city centre next to Esplande park.

Tourism experts say Jyväskylä as a Mecca for architecture lovers around the world for its large collection of Alvar Aalto buildings.

The city is the biggest city on Finnish Lakeland and capital of Central Finland.

Later, a modern architect Arto Sipinen, a pupil of Aalto, has influenced in the cityscape since the 1970s by designing most of the new university buildings in the city.

The Alvar Aalto Museum and the Museum of Central Finland form a centre of culture in the immediate vicinity of the historical campus of the University of Jyväskylä.

Both museums are designed by a functionalist Alvar Aalto. The Alvar Aalto Museum displays the artist's most important work and design.
The Museum of Central Finland specializes in cultural history. It serves both as the town museum of Jyväskylä and the provincial museum of Central Finland.

One of architect Aalto's most significant works Säynätsalo Town Hall is located in Säynätsalo island on Lake Päijänne.

The city hosts the Neste Oil Rally Finland formerly known as 1000 Lakes Rally.

It is the biggest annually organised public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year.

The rally has been held since 1951, first as a national competition, then from 1959 on as a European Rally Championship event and since the introduction of the World Rally Championship in 1973, as Finland's WRC event.

UNESCO World Heritage site Petäjävesi Old Church is located in vicinity of Jyväskylä.

Finnish cuisine includes fresh ingredients, particularly game and fish, foraged berries and mushrooms such as false morels, and even reindeer.

Popular Alcoholic drinks to note are Koskenkorva, the salty liquorice-flavored Salmiakki Koskenkorva and cloudberry liqueur.

The Finnish rail system is called VR. It offers InterCity and express trains throughout the country, and the faster Pendolino trains connecting the major cities. There are very large discounts (usually 50%) available for children (7-16 yr), students, senior citizens, and conscripts.

There are international trains to St. Petersburg (Finnish and Russian day-time trains) and Moscow (Russian over-night train) in Russia. Connections to Sweden are by bus due to rail gauge differences.

It's possible to take the Silja, Tallink and Viking Line ferries from Helsinki to Mariehamn in the Åland archipelago, Stockholm (Sweden), Rostock and Travemünde in Germany, and to Tallinn, (Estonia).

There are about 25 airports in Finland with scheduled passenger services.

Finnair, Blue1 and Finncomm Airlines provide air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki-Vantaa airport is Finland's global gateway with scheduled non-stop flights to such places as Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou, Nagoya, New Delhi, New York, Osaka, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Miami and Tokyo.

Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle airline traffic routes between Western Europe and the Far East. Hence, many foreign tourists visit Helsinki on a stop-over while flying from Asia to Europe or vice versa.

The Helsinki-Vantaa Airport was ranked 18th in the Skytrax World's Top 100 Airports survey.

High Speed Ferry Cruising Between Tallinn And Helsinki

January 29, 2017 marks the day that Tallink’s new flagship Tallink Shuttle Megastar will start operating on the Tallinn-Helsinki route. In addition to Finnish engineers, Tallink’s customers were also involved in the creation process of this 212-metre vessel as Tallink took into account the experiences and feedback of their customers when constructing the ferry.

For example, Tallink’s customers have asked for more seats and space. As a result, the new ferry has 40% more room for passengers, of whom the ferry can fit 2800. The ferry also includes a completely new feature in the form of a 300-seat lounge area where passengers can recharge their phones and other devices. Following customers’ requests, these kind of recharge points have been added to all resting and eating areas.

The new Megastar has seven different cafés and restaurants offering dining options ranging from fast food to an à la carte menu. As a minor, yet notable remark, it should be brought out that disposable tableware will only be used in the fast food restaurant.

One of the most remarkable changes is the fact that a new passenger terminal 2 will be opened in Helsinki West Harbour in the beginning of 2017, significantly shortening the walking distance between the terminal and ships.

The Tallinn-Helsinki route continues to be AS Tallink Grupp’s most popular with at least three operating vessels transporting over 4.5 million passengers annually across the Gulf of Finland.

FINLAND: Finnair To Fly To Astana From Helsinki

Finnair will add a new short-haul route to Astana, Kazakhstan for the summer 2017 season, operating two weekly flights between Helsinki and Astana from 20 June to 11 August. The new route will coincide with the 2017 World Expo, which starts in June 2017.

Finnair’s flights to Astana will be flown with an A319 aircraft and have a duration of four hours and ten minutes. Helsinki departures will be flown on Tuesdays and Thursdays while flights from Astana will return on Wednesdays and Fridays.

FINLAND: Birds Fly From Finland To Uganda

An Osprey bird has found haven at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre(UWEC), after flying all the way from Finland in Europe. The bird, of the hawk family, was discovered at runway turf of Entebbe International Airport, by ground staff recently.

Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, said that specialists were dispatched when the centre received an emergency call from the airport.

“Our team rushed to the scene where they found the Osprey that had collided with a plane and had both of its wings shattered. We had to amputate them when we got it back to the centre,” Mr Mujansi said.

The official said the 1.8 feet long Osprey had a tag ring which identified it to belong to the Finnish Museum of Natural History found in Finland.

“When we contacted the Finland museum, its call centre confirmed the bird belonged to them. They were very grateful to know its whereabouts,” he said.
“This proved to us that bird flew all the way from Helsinki Finland,” he added.

Ms Barbara Arapo, a medical personnel at Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, said the Osprey is one of the many species of seasonal migratory birds with each having its own behavioural pattern for migration.

“Some bird species fly away due to climate changes, others are looking for food and some migrate to breed,” Ms Arapo said.
Mr Mujansi also said there has been an increase in the number of migratory bird species recorded at the UWEC centre since December last year.

The Osprey is also called the Sea Hawk and is a diurnal fish eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60cm (24 in) in length and 180cm (71 in) across the wings.

It is brown on the upper part and predominantly greyish on the head and under part. The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply and is found on all continents except Antarctica.

LATIVIA: Riga Airport Leading In The Baltics

The number of passengers served has increased by 6.3%.

In the first half of the year, over 2.52 million passengers were carried, which is a 6.3% increase compared to the first half of the previous year.

The number of flights has increased by 2.1% and over 33 thousand flights have been performed in total.

Serving 45% of Baltic air passengers, Riga's Airport has maintained its leading position in the Baltics.

The "Riga" Airport has recorded a sharp 18.4% increase in the number of transfer passengers, thanks to the success of the national airline "airBaltic" in attracting transfer passengers.

In the first half of the year, transit and transfer passengers accounted for 26.6% of the total number of passengers. The main transfer destinations are Tallinn, Vilnius, Helsinki, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Kiev, Berlin, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, but the largest increase in transfer traffic has been in the direction of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, London and Kiev.

This year, the most popular destinations in terms of number of passengers are London, Moscow, Frankfurt, Oslo and Helsinki, while the largest growth has been for flights to Berlin, London, Kiev, Moscow and Stockholm.

In the first half of the year, two new airlines have launched routes - "Vueling" (Riga-Barcelona-Riga) and "Aegan Airlines" (Riga-Athens-Riga).

Currently, the airport is successfully carrying out the terminal's development. The new terminal is expected to be completed by this year's winter flight-season.

FINLAND: Finnair Jan 2016 Shanghai Operation Changes

Finnair has revised planned operational aircraft for Helsinki – Shanghai Pu Dong route, during the month of January 2016, due to aircraft redeployment. From Helsinki, service operates with A330-300 from 06JAN16 to 21JAN16, and A340-300 from 22JAN16 to 31JAN16, replacing A350-900XWB.

Planned schedule as follow.

AY057 HEL1710 – 0815+1PVG 333 D
AY058 PVG1005 – 1440HEL 333 D

FINLAND: International Holiday House Network Expands To Finland

According to Novasol, German tourists in particular are interested in renting holiday homes in Finland.

After last week’s news concerning the launch of new hotels in Helsinki, the focus has shifted to Finland’s lake district with the American-owned holiday rental network Novasol expanding into the Finnish cottage markets. The news was reported by the YLE news site.

After last week’s news concerning the launch of new hotels in Helsinki, the focus has shifted to Finland’s lake district with the American-owned holiday rental network Novasol expanding into the Finnish cottage markets. The news was reported by the YLE news site.

Novasol has 40 000 registered holiday rentals in 29 countries around Europe. The company is now seeking privately owned holiday homes for rental to tourists in Finland.

“We see demand for Finland across Europe. A few weeks ago I was talking with a Danish travel agent, who started in Finland two years ago. Finland is now their biggest destination,” Torbjörn Fredman, Novasol’s Nordic Product Manager told YLE.

In particular German tourists are interested in a cottage in the Finnish countryside; they are looking for a break from busy city-life and privacy on the shores of Lake Saimaa. Finland’s lake district is now experiencing increasing popularity in Central Europe. According to the company’s estimates, 60% of customers arriving in Finland are German.

“They have seen Greece and Spain and are now looking for something else,” Fredman says.

FINLAND: Congress Travel In Finland Grows

Tourism income in Finland has almost doubled from year 2010 to €130 million in year 2015, despite the economic decline in Europe.

The number of congresses held in Finland has grown from 595 conventions in 2012 to the current 708. The previous year saw attendance figures of 79,000, which meant a tourism income of €130 million. The corresponding income for 2010 was €72 million. The Helsinki region hosts over half of these international congresses – significant events are, however, held in all of the largest cities throughout the year.

TOP Five congress cities:
1. Helsinki
2. Espoo
3. Tampere
4. Turku
5. Jyväskylä

FCB’s Convention Director, Leena Sipilä is extremely happy with this growth.
“Our previous best year had been 2013, but last year exceeded even 2013’s figures, despite our fears that the economic decline would take its toll,” says Sipilä, clearly pleased.

“We are more than happy.” Congress travel is a positive exception in Finland’s economic situation, especially compared to tourism in general, whose growth rate is declining.

The massive decline in Russian tourists has been challenging to leisure travel companies, who are now trying to attract new growth in Europe and Asia. Congress travel agents have also realised the possibilities for growth in the Asian market.

“We are organising our first corporate event marketing show in China, because we believe there are new opportunities and customers to be found there,” says Sipilä.

FINLAND: Tourists Spend Big But Need Better Signs In Helsinki

Tour buses have become more popular in the Finnish capital.

A fresh study shows that tourism brought the southern region of Uusimaa more than two billion euros last year—more than four times as much tourism revenue as world-renowned destination Lapland pulled in. The report found that some tourists stick to the main central attractions because they lack information about Helsinki’s outer reaches.

Tourism is a billion-euro business in the country’s most populous region, Uusimaa. A new study from Haaga Helia university of applied sciences crunched the numbers, and found that each year the region sees some 16 million day trips and 22 million overnight stays.

Domestic travellers constitute the biggest single group, but Russians spent the most money.

“Income comes mainly from accommodation and catering operations, retailers and then smaller sectors such as artistic enterprises,” says project co-ordinator Mirva Lopez.

The amounts soon add up, and Uusimaa sees four times as much tourist cash as the world-renowned winter sports and nature holiday destination of Finnish Lapland. Tarja Koistinen of the Helsinki-Uusimaa regional council says that there’s no time for complacency.

“The product should be exactly as marketed,” says Koistinen. “The quality has to be right as the modern traveller is demanding. There is so much competition, even in Uusimaa.”

Small things have a big effect on tourist behaviour. Many travellers like Helsinki, but don’t get to see that much of it.

“Cruise passengers wander round the market square because they don’t know where to go,” says Haaga Helia researcher Andrew Hallott. “There could be more signs in central Helsinki. Public transport can also be difficult as often it just says the name of the stop, rather than, for example, that Tikkurila is for (science museum) Heureka, for example.”

FINLAND: Russian Tourism In Finland Falls

VR's Allegro trains are carrying fewer visitors over the eastern border.

The number of overnight stays by Russian visitors fell by 14 percent nationwide in March, compared to one year earlier. Russians are the largest national group among tourists in Finland, but the decline among visitors of all nationalities was nearly eight percent.

Statistics Finland figures for March show that the number of overnight stays by Russian visitors was 14 percent lower than in March 2013. The total number of overnight stays was down by 7.7 percent, indicating a greater decline among Russians than among visitors in general.

The figures show regional differences in Russian visits. In Kymenlaakso and North Karelia, both close to the Russian border, the year-on-year drop was around 25 percent. In South Ostrobothnia, on the other hand, the number of overnight stays grew slightly. All other regions showed a drop in visits from Russians.

In total some 109,000 overnight stays by Russians were recorded in the statistics for March. The weak rouble and the situation in Ukraine have been cited as possible explanations for the slower stream of visitors.

FINLAND: Finnair To Fly To Four New European Destinations In 2016

The airline Finnair will launch next year four new routes from Helsinki to northern Europe or East And it will convert into eight routes previously operated scheduled flights only charter flights.

As of April 4, 2016, the national carrier of Finland will offer a daily flight between the airport of Helsinki-Vantaa and Billund, operated by Embraer 170 seats 76 by ​​its subsidiary Nordic Regional Airlines (eg Flybe Nordic). Departures are scheduled at 8:05 (8:55 arrival) or 4:10 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (arrival 17:00) are return flights leaving Denmark respectively at 12:10 (2:55 p.m. arrival) and at 20:10 (10:55 p.m. arrival). No competition on this route for Finnair, already poses five times a day in Copenhagen.

As of April 18 and throughout the summer season, the airline alliance will offer three and four weekly rotations between its capital and Edinburgh, operated by Airbus A319 of 138 seats again without competition. Departures Monday and Thursday are scheduled at 8:30 am (arrival 9:10), the one on Wednesday at 17:20 (arrival 18.00) and the Sunday at 16:30 (arrival 5:10 p.m.) Return flights will leave Scotland Monday and Thursday at 9:50 am (14:40 arrival), Wednesday at 18:40 (arriving 23:30) and Sundays at 18:15 (23:05 arrival). This road will allow "our Asian customers excellent opportunities to travel to Scotland on their travels in the UK, Scotland and connect the broad Asian network of Finnair, which has 13 airports."

From June 1 to August 27, Finnair will offer three flights a week between Helsinki and Svalbard, Longyearbyen airport accepting regular flights over the north of the planet. The E190 100 seats of its subsidiary will take off on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 23:45 (arrival the next day at 1:55), and will leave the Norwegian archipelago Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 2:45 (6:45 arrival). Only SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian offer low cost scheduled flights to Svalbard.

Finally significantly further south, Finnair will offer from June 20 to August 12 two flights a week between Helsinki and Pula starts Monday at 7:45 (9:40 arrival) and Friday at 5:35 p.m. (arrival 7:30 p.m.) and return of Croatia respectively at 10:30 am (2:25 p.m. arrival ) and 8:25 p.m. (0:20 arrival). No competition there either for the company that already serves Dubrovnik and Split.

Finnair will convert to the other regular flights from the month of May 2016 eight routes to Greece, Italy and Bulgaria previously offered only as charter flights in almost every case with one flight per week in A319, A320 or A321: these flies to Preveza (two flights a week), Rimini, Mytilini, Santorini, Skiathos, Varna, Verona and Zakynthos.

FINLAND: Finnair To Launch New Edinburgh-Helsinki Route In 2016

Finnair is set to launch a seasonal service from Edinburgh to Helsinki in 2016, offering travellers faster connections to Finnair’s network of Asian destinations.

The service begins on April 18th 2016 and will operate to October 27th 2016.

Edinburgh will be served by three flights a week operated by a Finnair Airbus A319.

“The new Edinburgh route will open up travel to Finnair’s extensive Asian network for Scottish passengers with short connections at Helsinki Airport.

“Edinburgh Airport is seeing a continuous growth in demand for international flights, recently announcing a 10.2 per cent growth year-on-year to July 2015 and we look forward to welcoming these passengers on board Finnair,” said Petri Vuori, Finnair’s vice president of global sales.

Finnair is the European launch customer for the next-generation Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.

The completely new aircraft type substantially raises the bar for passenger comfort, environmental performance and operational efficiency.

Finnair is also the first airline in the world to operate the A350 on scheduled services to China, where Shanghai will be served with a daily A350 service from October 25th 2015, followed by Bangkok and Beijing, with Hong Kong and Singapore A350 services to be added in 2016.

The Edinburgh service is one of four new routes launching in summer 2016, with the launch of services from Helsinki to Billund, Denmark; Pula, Croatia; and also the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean.