Strikes force Finnair to add re-fuelling stops to long-haul flights

Finnair has decided to fuel many of its aircraft overseas due to the political strikes that began in Finland on Monday, reveals Helsingin Sanomat. A protest against a series of government proposals on labour market reforms by the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the two-week strikes are expected to cause widespread disruptions in cargo handling at ports, rail freight transport and process industries. Mia Eloranta, the director of communications at Finnair, told Helsingin Sanomat on Monday that the majority state-owned airline will re-fuel aircraft operating on continental routes in the destination countries. “This is an attempt to save fuel in Helsinki,” she added. Long-haul flights operated by the airline, in turn, will make additional re-fuelling stops at airports in Europe. Eloranta estimated that the stops will increase flight times by roughly an hour. “Today we’ll start testing and exploring where the layovers can be made,” she said to the newspaper. Staged by the Finnish Industrial Union, the Finnish Transport Workers’ Union (AKT), the Finnish Electrical Workers’ Union, the Finnish Construction Trade Union, Service Union United (PAM) and the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL), the strikes are targeted at, for example, the distribution centres of Neste in Naantali and Porvoo. The Industrial Union gauged last week that the strikes could cause fuel shortages at airports and service stations, an estimate that has been rejected by experts and the National Emergency Supply Agency. The agency has instead estimated that “local disruptions” may occur in fuel distribution.<br/>