ITTN’s Louise Ducrocq was so happy to attend Finnair’s Decade of Dublin event, hosted with Visit Finland and Visit Estonia at the Finnish Residence in the presence of The Ambassador of Finland, H.E. Ms Leena Gardemeister, and Anssi Partanen, Market Director of Finnair.
The evening was a celebration of Finnair’s ten-year anniversary of the Dublin-Helsinki route. On 30 March 2015, the Nordic airline’s flight departed Helsinki, arriving in Dublin a little over three hours later, operated by the 100 seater Embraer 190 Aircraft. What was originally launched by Finnair and Dublin Airport as a summer season service quickly expanded to a year-round route due to high demand, with the route now also being operated by Finnair’s Airbus A320 family aircraft, capable of carrying up to 209 customers. Today, the route operates up to 10 flights a week.
Not only are travellers heading to Helsinki Airport to visit Finland, but they’re also taking advantage of this huge hub with seamless connections to long-haul destinations in the Far East and Asia, including Japan and India. Finnair actually has the largest network of destinations in Japan among European airlines. The Finnish airline is also seeing growing traffic to the Baltics from Helsinki Airport, with expanding connections to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
Those looking to bag a break in Finland can enjoy return flights from Dublin to Helsinki starting from €174 in Economy Class and €593 in Business Class, including taxes and charges. With smooth and easy transfers in Helsinki from as little as 40 minutes, thanks to all flights operating from the same terminal, customers can also enjoy stress-free travel when flying for business or leisure through Helsinki. Voted as the best airline in Northern Europe for 14 years in a row in the Skytrax Awards, Finnair offers flights to around 100 destinations around the world.
All types of travellers are taking advantage of this 10-year-old route. Of course, business passengers are using it to expand their reach internationally. Meanwhile, adventure-seekers and families are flocking to Lapland — year-round, if you can believe it. In the words of Catherine Grennell-Whyte, Managing Director at ATTS, who has been working closely with Finnair to foster the Helsinki-Dublin connection, “Finland in summer is magnificent.” Lastly, we were reminded that Helsinki is the perfect weekend escape, offering unique experiences you won’t find anywhere else in Europe, all while remaining affordable.
“In 10 years, the Dublin-Helsinki connection grew to an unexpected extent, and we are still seeing it thrive today. This summer season service that blossomed into a year-round route would not be possible without the continued support of the Irish Travel Trade. The entire Finnair team, along with Visit Estonia, Visit Finland, and the Ambassador, are incredibly grateful to the trade for making all of this a reality,” said Catherine.
Attendees were also cordially invited to an authentic Finnish sauna experience in the Ambassador’s Residence, which had been adjusted to a milder temperature so as not to put off the Irish — we’re not too used to the 100°C heat! Later in the evening, a Finnair pilot who flew to Dublin to showcase his musical talent on the piano that evening joined Anssi Partanen for an improvised duet. Both sang along to Rock N’ Roll Kids, harmonising and leaving everyone choked up. It felt like time had stopped. There was no better way to end the evening.
