newstodate.aero

Aug 02, 2022 (newstodate): The Covid-19 and the Russian war on Ukraine have radically changed the outlook for Finland's aviation business.
   Till now, Finland has enjoyed preferential treatment in aviation talks with Russia that has granted overflight rights allowing Finnair to develop its Asian traffic, benefiting from Finland's favorable geographical position. This may change after Finland's application for NATO membership.
   Also, parts of Russia especially around the St Petersburg region has been within Finnair's catchment area, generating significant transit passenger volumes.
   Today, the market situation has been thoroughly changed, forcing Finnair to rethink its strategy and business model, with decisions to be published within the coming months.
   -Finnair is by far our largest operator at Helsinki Airport, and we will rethink our strategy and development plans for the coming years once we know which direction Finnair will be heading, says Petri Vuori, Finavia Snr VP Sales and Route Development.
   -The development of the infrastructure of Helsinki Airport is almost completed, with a strong focus on an expected sustained growth in the Asian traffic, which is now cast in doubt in the near and medium term at least.
   -However, there are still some recent encouraging developments including Sichuan Airlines' return of services from Chengdu from July 29, 2022, and Finnair's reopening of flights to Guangzhou from September 6, 2022, indicating that there are still positive moves in this market, says Mr Vuori.