Flybe is now Finland’s newest airline following the completion of its joint acquisition with Finnair of Finnish Commuter Airlines (Finncomm). Its new route network features 24 regional routes offering 416 flights a week. This includes all existing routes previously operated by Finncomm plus nine brand new routes. There are four from Helsinki, four from key regional cities in Finland, and one between Sweden’s Stockholm Bromma airport and Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn.
Four of the new routes offer multiple daily frequencies each with a choice of up to three flights a day. The nine new routes are:
- Helsinki — Mariehamn, Aland (2xdaily)
- Helsinki – Tartu, Estonia (6 per week)
- Helsinki – Trondheim, Norway (4 per week)
- Helsinki – Umea, Sweden (4 per week)
- Tampere – Tallinn, Estonia (3xdaily)
- Turku – Tallinn* (2xdaily)
- Vaasa – Tallinn* (6 per week)
- Oulu – Tallinn* (6 per week)
- Tallinn – Stockholm Bromma, Sweden (3xdaily)
*Flights start 14th November
Mike Rutter, Managing Director of Flybe Europe, said: “Flybe is extremely proud to have this opportunity to serve Finland, Estonia and the Nordic/Baltic states’ area. It is a moment we have been working towards for a long time. Today marks a brand new era of affordable travel choices for both leisure and business passengers to the region.”
The list of new routes includes new destinations from both Helsinki and Tallinn, making regional air travel more affordable and accessible than ever before. The new schedule also offers viable, efficient and realistic alternative methods of travel to existing rail, road and ferry options. It also enhances the comprehensive regional network of direct routes across Finland and throughout the region. This means that passengers no longer have to fly via Helsinki unless they are using the excellent choice of onward connections beyond Helsinki to the rest of the world through Flybe’s codeshare agreement with its partner, Finnair.
Mike Rutter added: “Flybe’s partnership with Finnair will offer the same high standards of service that passengers have come to expect from Finncomm – and more. Our joint vision is for Flybe to become the leading regional airline for the Nordic and Baltic regions. We expect the new brand to become quickly established and recognised as the airline of choice for both leisure and business travel.
“We will be working very hard to ensure that the transition of Finncomm into Flybe over the next two months will be as seamless as possible. Passengers will continue to see the same friendly, professional cabin and flight crews welcoming them on board all of the routes that have been flown by Finncomm.”
Flybe’s new routes will complement feeder traffic to Finnair’s international connections and be included in Finnair’s flight schedules and flown as code-share flights. Finnair Plus customers will continue to accumulate frequent-flyer points on Flybe flights.
Mike Rutter further commented on Flybe’s plans for further expansion into the region that would include the future development of existing routes and those to Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark.
