Finnair still on radar for launch of Busan route

Finnair is still looking to launch its Busan-Helsinki route, even if the plan has hit a snag for the time being due to commercial reasons, executives from Finland’s flagship carrier told reporters during a press conference, Thursday. In March 2020, Finnair was scheduled to launch the route to become Korea’s first overseas carrier connecting the two cities. But the unexpected outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary halt to those plans. However, the airline said that it has “never given up” on the plan, but will keep its promise to implement the route at some point in the future when geopolitical uncertainty around the globe starts to be alleviated. The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia ended up extending the carrier’s flight time for its route between Incheon and Helsinki, as the airline cannot fly through Russian airspace while operating the route. This will also be the same case for a possible route between Busan and Helsinki, according to Finnair. “Busan is indeed on our radar for the future,” Finnair CCO Ole Orver said during the press conference in Seoul. “But it is not commercially feasible for us to operate the route in Busan for now.”<br/>