Route network lives on demand
The biggest changes in the route network during 2003 took place in Asian traffic. During the SARS epidemic, Finnair temporarily adjusted its Asian capacity, but services began to be restored in late summer as demand recovered.
A route to Osaka was opened in June and in September Finnair became the first airline to fly between Northern Europe and Shanghai. Finnair currently operates more than 20 flights per week to Asian destinations. A sixth MD-11 wide-bodied aircraft, which will come into service in spring 2004, will enable flight frequency to present destinations to be increased.
Demand in Asian traffic grew in 2003 by around 20 per cent, despite the severe cuts in capacity due to SARS. Growth in the final months of 2003 was nearly 40 per cent compared with the previous year. Two thirds of passengers on Finnair's Far Eastern flights are Asians, one fifth Scandinavians and the remainder from other parts of Europe. The Finnish market accounts for only ten per cent of Asian traffic demand.
The Scheduled Passenger Traffic division provides direct links from Helsinki to 30 international destinations. The European route network acts as a good extension to Asian links. Partners, meanwhile, have increased the number of passenger and cargo destinations in Asia and Australia.
Finnair's passenger volume was less than seven million in 2003, compared with seven and a half million at the turn of the millennium. Traffic performance measured in passenger kilometres has grown, however, which is explained by an increase in the average length of flights. |