Earlier this week, Finnair announced the upcoming launch of a Helsinki – Lyon route, as well as an increase of frequencies on some of its existing routes.
Among other changes, the Helsinki – Osaka route is expected to operate daily during 2018 winter schedule as compared to its 5-times-a-week operation during the 2017 winter schedule.
AY77/78: Helsinki – Osaka Kansai and Back
Until the end of 2017 winter schedule (the end of March 2018), the flights between Helsinki and Osaka are operated 5 times a week with the following schedule:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
- AY77 from Helsinki to Osaka KIX: depart at 5:25PM, arrive at 10:00AM the next day
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday
- AY78 from Osaka KIX to Helsinki: depart at 11:45AM, arrive at 3:10PM
Starting with the 2018 summer schedule in April 2018, the flights will become daily. And, given the latest announcement, it seems like we can expect the route to stay daily year-round from then onwards.
The route is operated by Finnair’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
Finnair: The European Airline with the Highest Presence in Japan
While most European airlines that operate flights to Japan offer connections to one or two airports in the country, Finnair offers the following four Japanese destinations out of Helsinki:
- Tokyo Narita – Daily (double-daily from May 2018) using Airbus A350-900
- Osaka Kansai – 5 times a week (daily from April 2018) using Airbus A330-300
- Nagoya Centrair – 5 times a week using Airbus A330-300
- Fukuoka – 3 times a week in summer using Airbus A330-300
Given that Finnair offers solid product and one of the most efficient ways to travel between Japan and many European cities, it is great to see the airline increasing its presence in Japan.
To see what it’s like to fly with Finnair, you can see the following two reviews that I published last year:
