Finnair begins direct flights to Mumbai

Finnair Tuesday began a direct flight from Helsinki to the commercial capital of India, its second destination in the country. It will operate five times a week with an Airbus A-340 aircraft. The first Helsinki-Mumbai flight will land here at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. In the other direction, the flight will depart at 8.15 a.m. the same day and arrive in Helsinki at 1.50 p.m. local time. Finnair began its operations from New Delhi on Oct 31, 2006, and has been flying to the national capital every day since May 19. "The new route also opens numerous possibilities to tourist traffic from Europe to India. Near Mumbai there are several interesting destinations for travellers, for example Goa, known for its magnificent beaches, and the culturally rich state of Kerala," a Finnair statement said.

"Apart from Mumbai, this flight would be very convenient for passengers from neighbouring cities like Pune and Ahmedabad. The Mumbai route also gives Finnair more onward connections to destinations all over India," said Taina Törnström, Finnair director for the Indian subcontinent. "Finnair is strengthening its partnerships with Indian air carriers to make these connections as smooth as possible," she added. The flights to Mumbai are part of Finnair's Asian strategy. "In response to a strong demand from the Asian market, the number of weekly flights to India has increased from seven to 12. Flights to other Finnair destinations in Asia have also been continuously increased," the airline said. Besides New Delhi and Mumbai, Finnair now flies to eight other destinations in Asia: Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong in China; Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in Japan; and Bangkok in Thailand.

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