Global Traveler recently sat down with Finnair’s president and CEO Turkka Kuusisto, and Päivyt Tallquvist, senior vice president of communications, to discuss the airline’s past year and its future developments.

As a result of geopolitical events in the past few years, Finnair decided to suspend service from Helsinki (HEL) to both Doha (DOH) and Dubai (DXB) for the rest of 2026 and 2027 winter season until the situation alleviates.

© Finnair

“The situation in the Middle East has resulted in an extremely high fuel price volatility that, of course, have effects,” said Kuusisto. “From Finnair’s perspective, I have been extremely proud of how my team have, in the organizational aspect, navigated such turbulence.”

Despite these global events, the airline is steadfast. Finnair hasn’t canceled a single flight since the air crisis update (i.e., jet fuel shortages), and this is due in part to the airline’s preparedness as well as its long-term partners, like Helsinki Airport, in combatting fuel availability issues.

Although Dubai has been a favorable pleasure destination for Finnair passengers, only 3 percent, on average, of the airline’s capacity accounts for flights to Doha and Dubai. While both destinations continue to be important, Finnair eyes the situation to reinstate service to these destinations in the future, citing safety as the airline’s main priority. In the meantime, the airline redirected this capacity to destinations in Europe like Munich (MUC) and Amsterdam (AMS).

“There is, of course, a lot of uncertainty and lack of visibility in the future, but we are ready for it,” Kuusisto added.

In the European market, Finnair strengthened its Helsinki hub this summer with more than 100 frequencies to Sweden and more than 80 to Norway. The airline also reported an increase in European travelers going north to the Nordics and Scandinavia this summer instead of the Mediterranean as a result of growing temperatures.

The airline also responds to growing demand in Japan, offering up to 28 weekly flights to the country. Despite competing with Chinese airlines (as Chinese airlines can fly over Russian air space, greatly reducing flight time), Finnair reports its more premium offerings and adjusted schedules for longer flight times has been met positively by Japanese travelers.

Looking ahead, Finnair continues to invest in its North American network, extending its summer 2027 season to start earlier than its 2026 summer season. Next summer, Finnair will launch seasonal service from Helsinki to Seattle (SEA) and Chicago (ORD) in the beginning of April instead of May.

Airbus A350-900 business class © Finnair

“Finnair’s connectivity for Asian and U.S. travelers is great,” Kuusiso noted. “Our regional destination space for overseas travelers, especially North American and Asian travelers, is something that surprised me. Let’s take Iceland, as an example. There are quite a few Japanese and Indian travelers who fly with us to Iceland through Helsinki. It’s becoming a more attractive destination. It’s a positive remark overall. The demand from Europe and Japan has been better this year than we expected.”

As soon as Oct. 25 of this year, the airline will launch daily flights between Helsinki and Melbourne (MEL), with a stop in Bangkok (BKK).

Finnair ordered brand-new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, with the first slated to arrive in autumn 2027, joining the airline’s existing narrowbody and regional European fleet. The airline’s final aircraft from Airbus, the Airbus A350-900, will be delivered this November.

Onboard the Airbus A350-900, passengers will find a completely overhauled cabin refresh across business, premium economy and economy classes. Its business class, dubbed The AirLounge Suite, boasts a wide, fixed contoured shell seat; motorized panel to transform the seat into a lie-flat bed; and state-of-the-art tech amenities.

Airbus A350-900 Mid Galley © Finnair

North American travelers continue to be a top priority for the airline. The airline has found many seek out travel to Helsinki alone, as well as nearby destinations like Lapland and Tallinn, using Helsinki as their hub.

Finnair currently works closely with tourism authorities in Finland to promote the country, but Kuusisto expresses a desire for the airline to eventually take a more active role in promoting Finland as a destination, either via a stopover program or something else. “There’s much more potential,” he said.

Kuusisto also sees more potential in its loyalty program Finnair Plus, with goals to create more opportunities and engagement more with its loyalty members.

Currently, Finnair has a small additional fee option for travelers wanting to do a “stopover-like” experience in Helsinki when flying Finnair.