Finnair will become the first European carrier to serve Xi’an (XIY) directly, launching seasonal flights to the capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi province on June 14. Xi’an, Finnair’s fifth destination in China, was the capital for 13 ancient imperial dynasties and is famous for the Terracotta Warriors, the thousands-strong burial army created for China’s first emperor. The airline will operate three weekly roundtrips from its Helsinki (HEL) hub through Oct. 26 using Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
“I’m very excited and pleased to announce Xi’an as our fifth destination in China,” said Mika Vehviläinen, CEO of Finnair. “China’s fast-growing economy continues to drive strong demand for travel between Europe and Asia and opens new opportunities for Finnair. We have a long history of improving connections between Europe and China, dating back to 1988 when we began flying to Beijing. We look forward to building on that legacy and offering fast, convenient itineraries between many European cities and Xi’an.”
Finnair, Finland’s flag carrier celebrating 90 years of operation this year, recently set a goal to double its Asian revenue by 2020. As part of its Europe–Asia expansion, the airline earlier this year became the first to operate a direct route between Europe and Chongqing (CKG) and will also begin seasonal service to Hanoi (HAN) on June 14. Across Asia, Finnair’s network includes Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (SHA), Hong Kong (HKG), Bangkok (BKK), Delhi (DEL), Nagoya (NKM), Osaka (ITM), Seoul (ICN), Singapore (SIN) and Tokyo (NRT).
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