Melbourne Welcomes Finnair's Inaugural Flight from Helsinki

MELBOURNE — On Sunday, Melbourne Airport (MEL) welcomed Finnair’s (AY) first flight to Australia using its own aircraft and airline code. With the service Finnair, the official airline of Santa Claus, will operate daily direct flights from its hub in Helsinki (HEL) to the Australian city, with a technical stop in Bangkok (BKK).

Comments fro Airport, airlines Officials

Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said Finnair would offer Australian travellers and local exporters a new choice to Thailand and Europe. “Finnair is one of the world’s oldest and most well-respected airlines, so we are thrilled to welcome them to the Melbourne Airport family,” she said. She continued: "Finnair has today joined a long list of the world’s top airlines in making Melbourne its Australian gateway, and we’re proud to see the blue and white tail on our tarmac. The airline’s award-winning Helsinki hub is recognised as one of Europe’s most convenient transit points, with onward connections available to around 90 destinations on the continent.”

Finnair's Chief Revenue Officer Christine Rovelli said it was fantastic to see the first Finnair flight arrive in Melbourne.  "This is an important milestone for us, bringing Finnair’s own flights to Australia for the first time and creating a new daily connection between Melbourne, Finland and the rest of Europe," she said. "We are very excited to welcome Australian customers on board and equally excited to bring more European travellers to Melbourne and Victoria.”

On the tarmac at MEL, the media were able to check out the aircraft as well as celebrate the historic milestone with Santa Claus. Airways joined the inaugural flight from HEL to MEL - monitor this space for the full inaugural experience!