BANGKOK, 27 October 2026: Finnair launched daily scheduled services between Helsinki and Melbourne on 25 October 2026, marking the Finnish flag carrier’s debut in Australia.
The 22-hour flight operates Helsinki-Melbourne via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the A350-900 makes a two-hour transit stop for a crew change. The airline enjoys fifth freedom rights in Bangkok, allowing it to sell tickets on the Bangkok-Melbourne roundtrip sectors
Fares for a roundtrip Helsinki-Melbourne journey start at EUR998.
Meanwhile, Finnair announced earlier that it will strengthen its Japan network and operate up to three daily flights to Tokyo during the summer 2027 timetable.
In a press statement, Finnair said it was responding to growing demand for travel to Asia, particularly Japan. The airline will increase frequency on its Tokyo Narita route during the peak summer travel period, operating up to two daily flights. In addition, Finnair will continue to serve Tokyo Haneda Airport daily.
With the additional Narita frequencies, Finnair will offer a record number of connections between Helsinki and Tokyo next summer, with up to three daily flights at peak times. The flights have been timed to provide smooth onward connections from Japan across Finnair’s European network.
With the additional frequencies, Finnair’s services to Japan will increase from 28 weekly flights this summer to up to 32 weekly flights in summer 2027, further strengthening Finnair’s position as one of the largest airlines between Europe and Japan.
Finnair operates year-round services to Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita and Osaka. In summer, Finnair also flies to Nagoya, the only European airline serving the Japanese city.
Additional Narita frequency from 12 May to 14 August 2027 (excluding HEL-NRT on 13 May and NRT-HEL on 14 May):
AY71 HEL-NRT 1220-0715 (plus a day)
AY72 NRT-HEL 0855-1535
(Source: Finnair)
