nocnylot
29.11.05, 23:42
November 29, 2005
Finnair will launch regular flights between Helsinki and New Delhi in
November next year, opening the first direct route from Northern Europe to
India's capital, the Finnish flag carrier said on Tuesday.
Finnair, which has met tough competition in its European home market by
expanding its Asian network, said it would run three flights per week to
Delhi.
"India is a rapidly growing business and leisure destination, which sees a
steady flow of passengers year-round. The Delhi route is Finnair's tenth
Asian destination," the company said in a statement.
Asian traffic generated a fifth of Finnair's EUR1.4 billion (USD$1.65
billion) turnover in January-September, with growth at 18 percent compared to
10 percent in Europe.
A Finnair spokesman said the firm expected both to take market share and
benefit from the growing Indian traffic.
(Reuters)