oneworld

Finnair’s rejigging of its network will include new services to Milan’s Linate airport as well as the Norwegian city of Bodo. The Oneworld carrier – which will continue serving Milan Malpensa – will also re-open flights to the Slovenian capital Ljubljana as part of its summer schedule. Finnair has had to rethink its network following the closure of Russian airspace, which has badly affected its long-term strategy of using Helsinki as a transit hub for European-Asian connections. It will offer Asian flights to both Tokyo airports, plus Osaka, as well as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi and Mumbai. CCO Ole Orver says the airline has rescheduled a number of short- and long-haul services in order to maintain “seamless” connectivity for Japanese flights and to meet increasing demand in other parts of Asia. “Travel has recovered at a good pace so we are increasing flights to popular destinations across Europe for leisure and business travellers,” adds Orver. Finnair will operate to over 50 European destinations this summer, and is raising frequencies to cities including Berlin, Copenhagen, Vilnius and Riga.<br/>

A Qantas flight to Sydney from New Zealand has landed after reporting mid-air engine trouble and issuing a mayday call. Flight QF144 from Auckland, a twin-jet Boeing 737-838, landed at Sydney Airport just before 3.30pm on Wednesday, according to FlightRadar. Aircrew issued a mayday alert about 45 minutes before landing. “Mayday” is the word used by aviators to signal a life-threatening emergency. NSW Police were informed it was expected to land safely, though Australian Federal Police would respond. A Sydney Airport spokesperson said the airport notified Fire and Rescue, NSW Police and NSW Ambulance as a precautionary measure but could not comment on the specifics of the mayday alert. The airport does not expect the event to impact other flights at this stage.<br/>