Finnair starts service to western China city of Chongqing
May 17th, 2012 - 10:34 pm ICT by IANSHelsinki, May 17 (IANS) In a bid to strengthen its presence in the growing Asian market nordic carrier Finnair has started a direct flight to western China city of Chongqing, official said.
“China is a key part of our Asia-Europe strategy. Western China is an important growth area, and the new route will strengthen our position in the growing Asian markets,” Finnair’s CEO Mika Vehvilainen.
“We believe Chongqing has the potential of developing into a hub for travel between western China and Europe, both for business and leisure travellers.”
The airline said that the new route launched last week was a logical next step in the carrier’s strategy of offering the shortest connections between Asia and Europe via Helsinki.
“Chinese companies and many western companies, especially in the electronics, automotive and chemical industries, are currently expanding their operations in Chongqing, and business travel and cargo prospects are promising,” the airline said in a statement.
Finnair is operating the service on Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft on the route, which takes eight and a half hours.
In addition to four flights per week to Chongqing, Finnair operates daily to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Helsinki.
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Tags: airbus a330, asia and europe, asia europe, asian market, asian markets, beijing, business travel, china city, chinese companies, chongqing, direct flight, europe strategy, finnair, half hours, helsinki, leisure travellers, mika, prospects, shanghai, western china