Finnair will restart flights between Helsinki and Shanghai on July 23.
The airline says it will begin operating one weekly flight between the cities on an A350 aircraft.
“Finland has opened its borders for work-related travel from China but entry to Finland is still restricted for the time being pending an EU level decision on reciprocity,” the airline said in a statement.
China was listed among one of the countries whose residents were allowed to travel to Finland for work-related reasons. However, according to The Finnish Border Guard, in the case of China, entry to Finland is still restricted as “it is required that European Union states sufficient fulfilment of reciprocity”.
According to The International Air Transport Association (IATA), restrictions for passengers travelling to China include the following:
- Mainland China has temporarily suspended entry for foreign nationals with visas issued before March 28, 2020. Entry by foreign nationals with APEC Business Travel Cards has been suspended as well.
- Foreign nationals coming to mainland China for necessary economic, trade, scientific or technological activities or out of emergency humanitarian needs may apply for visas at Chinese embassies or consulates.
- Passengers arriving at Shanghai Pudong (PVG) or Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) are subject to medical screening and quarantine for 14 days.
More information about mainland China’s travel restrictions can be found here.
“The re-opening of our Shanghai route is great news for our customers and an important step for us, as China continues to play a key role in Finnair’s strategy”, says Ole Orvér, chief commercial officer, Finnair.
The airline says it is flying to over 30 destinations in July, operating altogether 80-90 flights per day, and is increasing both routes and frequencies in August and September.
In May, Finnair announced plans to operate around 30 per cent of its flight network from July, with a focus on “strategically important” routes to Asia.
