The Finnish airline Finnair and China’s Juneyao Air have just announced a joint partnership on the Helsinki-Shanghai routes and beyond. The two airlines currently offer 2 flights per week between Helsinki and Shanghai but pre-COVID back in 2019, there were daily flights between the destinations.
Finnair and Juneyao
Starting July 1, 2021, both airlines will cooperate commercially on flights between Helsinki and Shanghai and other destinations beyond China and Europe. “Finnair is all about offering the best connections between Europe and Asia”, says Topi Manner, Chief Executive Officer at Finnair in a release. “This is a true win-win partnership, which will enable Finnair and Juneyao customers to enjoy vastly improved access to our joint network. It is also testament to Finnair’s steadfast commitment to China as a strategic market. We look forward to working closely with our friends at Juneyao, to build an even stronger bridge between China and Europe through our Shanghai and Helsinki hubs.”
The new joint venture will also provide customers with better fares and routing options. Now flyers will be able to take advantage of Juneyao Air’s hub at China’s Shanghai Pudong International Airport where they can connect to 57 destinations in China. Juneyao Air customers will also have access to 65 European destinations from Finnair’s hub at Helsinki’s Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
“We are honored to formalize this strategic partnership with Finnair to offer our customers a wider range of products and quality services, provide more flexible flight choices, and seamless travel experiences. The joint business with Finnair will allow Juneyao Air to further strengthen its market in Europe, which is an important strategy in our global expansion as it significantly increases Juneyao Air’s presence in an aviation market set to become the ‘high-value carrier’”, said Zhao Hongliang, Chief Executive Officer at Juneyao Air.
It’s pretty clear why this venture has come to be. Shanghai is China’s most populous city with 27 million people living in the city centre. The city also acts as home to the world’s largest container port.
Featured Image: Mohammad Saifullah
