Finnair has commenced four weekly direct flights to Chongqing, making it the world’s first carrier to connect Europe to the Chinese city (see story here).
The flight, operated by Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft, departs Helsinki at 1730, touching down in the Chinese city at 0710, while the return leg departs at 0940 to arrive back in the Finnish capital at 1405.
Chongqing is the carrier’s fourth Chinese destination after Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, reflecting Finnair’s larger strategy to capitalise on its home base's geographical advantage as the “shortcut” between Asia and Europe. As reported earlier (see story here), in order to enhance its status as a transit hub, the carrier intends to up the number of weekly flights serving Asia from 74 last year to 140 by 2020.
With a population of over 30 million, Chongqing is an increasingly important city with strong electronics, automotive and chemical industries. Other airlines that are tapping into the growing demand for travel to the city include Qatar Airways (see story here), which launched a direct service last year, and SilkAir, with frequency for Chongqing flights increased earlier this year (see story here).
To view our four hours guide to Chongqing, click here and for more information, visit www.finnair.com
Alisha Haridasani
