Flydubai recently inaugurated its new daily service to Helsinki, thereby becoming the first national carrier for the UAE to offer direct flights from Dubai. The inaugural flight departed from Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB), on October 23rd and landed at Helsinki Airport (HEL) on the same day before midnight.
On board the flight, there was a delegation led by Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at Flydubai that joined by Thierry Aucoc, Senior Vice President, Commercial (Europe & Russian Federation) at Emirates, H.E Riitta Swan, Finnish Ambassador to the UAE, who were joined by representatives from various regional media outlets. On arrival in Helsinki, the delegation was welcomed by senior officials from the airport.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the occasion, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at Flydubai said: “As the first carrier to operate a year-round direct flight from the UAE to Finland, we expect this route to be very popular for travellers from Dubai and the region as we make the market more accessible for adventure seekers, those who want to see the Northern Lights, Lapland and those visiting family and friends alike. Passengers travelling on this route will be able to enjoy the added comfort offered by our latest innovations in cabin design as well as an exceptional travel experience on board the new Boeing MAX 8 aircraft.”
Finland attracts more than 6 million tourists a year, but most flights to the market so far have been seasonal. The new scheduled direct flights from Dubai will give passengers easier access into Finland and help stimulate trade and tourism around the year.
“We have seen healthy demand especially for our Business Class, since the route was announced in April this year. We expect this trend to continue from Dubai as well as see growing numbers of connecting passengers from both the Emirates and the Flydubai networks. Passengers from Finland now have easier access to popular destinations on the Flydubai network including Sri Lanka and Tanzania as well as further afield on the Emirates network to Far East destinations, such as Australia, Indonesia and Thailand,” Efendi added.
Flydubai provides its customers with a better travel experience by offering greater choice and flexibility. With Flydubai’s Business Class, passengers can enjoy a more personalised flying experience while Economy Class offers comfortable seating and a convenient way to travel. On Flydubai’s newest aircraft, the Boeing 737 MAX 8, the efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft features a new cabin offering a flat-bed in Business Class for passengers to sleep comfortably during their flight. Economy Class offers new RECARO seats, which are designed to optimise space and comfort. Flydubai also offers exceptional in-flight entertainment with a full HD, 11.6-inch screen, featuring more than 1,000 hours of movies, TV shows, music and games in Arabic, English and Russian.
Emirates will codeshare on this route and as part of the Emirates Flydubai partnership, each airlines’ passengers will have the opportunity to connect in Dubai to hundreds of destinations across the world.