Finnair extends Helsinki service ahead of launch

Finnair has extended its planned Dublin-Helsinki service to the winter months ahead of its launch on Monday.

The airline launched a new six-times-a-week Dublin-Helsinki service on Monday which was originally due to run during the summer season only.

However, ahead of the inaugral flight, the carrier confirmed that it is extending the service to the winter months in response to demand.

Finnair is hoping to cash in on demand for services to China and Japan by offering quick connections from Helsinki to the Far East.

The airline says that it offers some of the quickest times from Europe to the far east as it flies from Helsinki over the Arctic Circle to Asia, a shorter route than that taken by most other carriers.

Its Dublin-Helsinki flights are designed to allow easy connections to its services to Asia.

Including the three hour flight time to Helsinki, the airline says that the journey from Republic's capital to Beijing takes a total of 14 hours on its network, Tokyo takes 15 hours while Hong Kong takes 13 hours and 25 minutes.

Dublin Airport Managing director, Vincent Harrison, welcomed news that the airline plans to extend its service.

“The fact that Finnair is extending the service so quickly into the winter season shows the strong demand for this new route and the onward connections that it offers,” he said.

Finnair sales director for Ireland and the UK, Fredrik Charpentier, said that the airline offers the fastest and most convenient connections to Asia.