FINNAIR-A CENTURY OF NORDIC AVIATION AIRLINES 5 . AIW115

Aero Oy, which was later rebranded as Finnair, is one of the oldest surviving airlines in the world. The airline was established in 1923 and started up domestic flights alongside routes to the Nordic and Baltic regions. In the beginning, Aero Oy used German Junkers F 13 aircraft, as Junkers Flugzeugwerke AG was a shareholder of the airline. The airline continued to use Junkers aircraft, such as the G 24 and Ju 52, even after Finnish shareholders had bought back Junkers’ shares. During World War Two, Finland was occupied by Russian troops, followed by the Germans and then the Allies. Still, Aero Oy managed to continue its operations. After the war, thanks to its geographic location, Finnair was able to start up several routes to the Soviet Union. Later on, the airline was the first carrier in the world to connect Europe with Asia via a polar route, which is considerably shorter than the conventional routes via Russia or the Persian Gulf. Both passenger and cargo flights to Asia became Finnair’s main source of income at a time when China was opening up the ‘new Silk Road’. Of course, Finnair was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic like most other airlines around the world. While this is an ongoing problem, Finnair is taking steps to guarantee the further growth of the airline once the pandemic is over. With over 140 images, this book charts Finnair’s history from the very beginning and shows how it has survived through the years.