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Finnair

Air transport services via Helsinki HUB.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Airlines for Europe and

4 Nov 2025 · IATA working group visit - Air Passenger Rights

Response to Revision of EU rules on air services

7 Jun 2025

Please find Finnair response attached.
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Meeting with Chiara Galiffa (Cabinet of Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič) and Airlines for Europe and

20 May 2025 · Trade tensions’ impact on the aviation industry

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Mar 2025 · EU Omnibus

Meeting with Anna-Maja Henriksson (Member of the European Parliament)

21 Mar 2025 · Transport

Meeting with Sebastian Tynkkynen (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Mar 2025 · Lentoliikenteen ajankohtaiset aiheet

Meeting with Eddy Liegeois (Head of Unit Mobility and Transport)

19 Feb 2025 · Overview of different aviation initiatives during the current Commission mandate

Meeting with Sebastian Tynkkynen (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Feb 2025 · Iltatilaisuus lentoliikenteen asioista

Meeting with Gzim Ocakoglu (Acting Head of Unit Mobility and Transport)

18 Feb 2025 · Russia - Aviation

Response to ReFuelEU Aviation environmental labelling scheme

18 Oct 2024

Finnair agrees with the comments by Airlines for Europe (A4E). In addition, Finnair would wish submit the additional comments in the attachment.
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Meeting with Magda Kopczynska (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

15 Oct 2024 · Introductory meeting new CEO / Decarbonisation / Competition worldwide

Meeting with Aura Salla (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Aug 2024 · Future of aviation, emissions trading

Meeting with Maria Guzenina (Member of the European Parliament)

21 Aug 2024 · Regulation

Response to Amendment of the EU ETS Monitoring and Reporting Regulation (MRR) in response to the ETS revision/Fit For 55 (Batch 2)

29 Jul 2024

Finnair fully subscribes to response by Airlines for Europe (A4E). Finnair welcomes the suggested geographical scope of monitoring and reporting of non-CO2 emissions. The draft Articles 53a on SAF reporting and Article 54a on claiming SAF allowances include provision on situations where eligible aviation fuels cannot be physically attributed to a specific flight. The aircraft operator shall report SAF as well as receive the so-called SAF allowances proportionally to the emissions from those flights departing from that airport. Finnair is of the view that that this proportionality principle should apply only to the ReFuelEU Aviation mandated SAF volumes that airlines procure. For volumes beyond the ReFuelEU mandate, aircraft operators should not be bound to this proportionality principle provided they can prove additionality in their fuel accounting.
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Response to Initiative on EU taxonomy - environmental objective

2 May 2023

Finnair welcomes the proposed targeted amendments to the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act as well as the inclusion of aviation technical screening criteria. Green transition in aviation and implementation of Fit for 55 package (notably RefuelEU Aviation and the ETS) will put an immense financial burden to the airlines. The transition can only be achieved through significant investment in new technology and new aircraft; through deployment of sustainable aviation fuel; and deployment of resources to the research and development of next-technology aircraft/engines. To be successful, the capital-intensive aviation industry is dependent on access to finance from the private and public sector. The inclusion of aviation in the taxonomy is necessary to attract investments, allowing sector to finance innovative, long-term changes like sustainable aviation fuels or zero-emission planes. Significant investment in fleet renewal and R&D for new technology is also needed. Without a taxonomy basis for aviation, there is a risk that financing will not be diverted to lower emitting new-technology aircraft. A streamlined funding and enabling regulatory framework providing clarity, predictability, clear criteria for sustainable investment are needed to support a faster adaption of innovative sustainable aviation projects. Finnair supports the proposed targeted amendments ( H51.1, H51.21: Passenger and freight air transport) to the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act, and the inclusion of aviation technical screening criteria. Ambition is not only to include European aviation in the objective of the EU Green Deal but lead on the transformation of the whole aviation sector in order to make it a fully decarbonized. The inclusions proposed are in line with the EUs objectives to promote the transition to a net-zero economy, including for the transition of difficult-to-abate industries, like aviation. The aviation criteria proposed have very high level of ambition, preserving environmental integrity whilst driving innovation and supporting investment. Having said this, one might be concerned that the ambition level of some criteria is too high for them to be realistically achieved. The inclusion of aviation technical screening criteria as part of the amendments to the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act is crucially needed and it should be done with no further delay. Failure to do so or further delays would impede the industrys sustainability objectives and would result in the likely failure to meet the set targets. This would cause a disjoint with other EU sustainability initiatives, including the EU Green Deal. Finnair looks for forward for further progress on the following elements that are needed once the amendments have been approved: - Operational and auditor guidance to make the system effective notably in respect of the technical screening criteria for passenger and freight air transport; - Clarification of definitions and choice of data sources; - Clarification the timing of the Acts entry in force: eligibility, alignment
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Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

16 Mar 2023 · Sustainable aviation

Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport) and Lufthansa Group and

28 Feb 2023 · Airlines operations in Japan

Response to Update of common rules for the allocation of slots at European Union airports

23 May 2022

Finnair welcomes opportunity to comment commission’s plans for extended slot relief measures and address the impact of COVID-19 developments and the Russian invasion in Ukraine to Finnair’s network. Finnair supports the extension of slot relief measures for upcoming scheduling seasons due to the unknown duration of airspace closure in Russia and the uncertainty of COVID-19 pandemic development. Finnair is specialized connecting Europe and Asia via its Helsinki HUB. Finnair’s Helsinki HUB is geographically located so, that also our European short haul network is very heavily affected by the avoidance of Russian airspace. Extremely long flight times to and from Asia make it impossible to feed/de-feed our European network with our current bank structure. Asian flight times are approximately 10-40% longer than normally. These 2-5 h longer flight times makes such operations particular crew and aircraft recourses intensive and makes it impossible to utilize recourses effectively (24h rotation). Also, the situation has forced us to significantly reduce number of frequencies between Europe and Asia. Currently Finnair operates 13 weekly frequencies to North Asia (China, Japan and Korea), comparison to 89 weekly frequencies pre-pandemic in 2019. This has severe impacts on European connectivity to Asia. Where it has not been possible to retime slots some feeder services no longer connect with long haul banks at hubs. In Finnair case this has already been the case on our Shanghai (PVG) – Helsinki (HEL) route during the summer 2022 season, since limited flexibility in PVG resulted 5 h later arrival in Helsinki missing European departure bank. Concern is that Asian markets will grant less slot flexibility for winter 2022 season due to less COVID-related restrictions in place while the Russian Airspace remains closed for European carriers. Therefore, Europe should ensure enough slot flexibility for also intra-EU flights. European airlines are likely to meet new challenge when Asian markets reopen. If Russian airspace remains closed for European carriers such a time non-EU carriers will have a competitive advantage through continued access to Russian airspace enabling them to offer shorter flight times to and from the EU. In addition, jet fuel prices have risen sharply since start of the war in Ukraine. Combined with longer flight times this creates a huge cost burden. Finnair suggestions: 1. More flexibility to reasons for justified non-utilization of slots (JNUS) Article 10.4 should be amended so that it covers unforeseen emergencies of new variants and related travel restrictions. It should also provide flexibility to manage changes to planned schedules withing the season without harming EU’s connectivity and competitiveness disturbed by war in Ukraine (re-timing). 2. Lower slot use ratio Ongoing summer season has proven that major European airports are unable to recourse effective to manage demand. This situation could continue also in the forthcoming winter season, or the COVID situation might change to worse due to new variants. JNUS alone is not enough to cover new serious disturbance of traffic. Therefore, the commission should have appropriate possibility to adopt delegated act to set a lower use ratio (such as 30-70%) if this proves necessary in next proceeding seasons. 3. Urgency Planning certainty is vital for the industry. Thus, the new initiative should be adopted before slot allocation deadlines for winter 2022 in early August.
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Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner)

2 May 2022 · Air traffic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pandemic and energy prices

Meeting with Silvia Modig (Member of the European Parliament)

31 Mar 2022 · Fit for 55 -package

Meeting with Mauri Pekkarinen (Member of the European Parliament)

31 Mar 2022 · EU and Aviation current affairs

Meeting with Silvia Modig (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Oct 2021 · Fit fir 55 -package

Response to Contingency plan for transport

22 Sept 2021

International competitiveness of European aviation sector has its foundation on well-functioning EU internal market. The covid-19 pandemic has caused the most significant market disturbance ever at aviation single market. Uncoordinated and at times disproportionate air traffic closures and travel restrictions by the Member States hit hard at the fundamental EU principle of free movement. That in turn lead to uneven playing field between air carriers and distortion of competition. Finnair strongly supports Flag ship 8 - Reinforcing the Single Market also with a view to preparing a contingency plan for crisis situations such as pandemics. In additional to guidance and guidelines, the contingency plan should recognize and initiate legislative processes to establish EU-wide binding criteria for imposing traffic and travel restrictions. Also EU-wide arrangements with clear legal base, appropriate data-bases and formats as well as trigger-mechanisms that would secure free movement and continuation of business also during the crisis should be established. Such arrangements include common passenger local form, applicable hygienic and other health safety measures and digital certificates such as Covid Pass, as appropriate. The passenger right legislation needs also to be brought up to date as part of the crisis preparedness as well as permanent legal base and trigger-mechanisms to uphold licenses and certificates as well as to secure connectivity in and post-crisis, such as slots.
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Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

23 Jun 2021 · Travel restrictions