Finnair was founded on November 1, 1923 and was then known as Aero O/Y
Finland national airline Finnair is celebrating a century of flight this week, having operated its first-ever service from Helsinki to Tallinn in Estonia on March 20, 1924.
In a press statement, Finnair says that its inaugural flight departed the Finnish capital at 15:40 carrying 162 kg of mail, improving connectivity within Northern Europe. Finnair was founded on November 1, 1923 and was then known as Aero O/Y, when it took to the skies for its first commercial flight.
The airline says that the inaugural flight was operated by the airline’s first aircraft, a Junkers F 13 D-335 Regenpfeifer, capable of carrying four customers alongside cargo and mail. The German-built seaplane was equipped with skis for wintry landings and floats for water landings during the summer months.
Finnair says that the Helsinki to Tallinn route still remains integral to Finnair’s network, with up to 10 daily flights operating between the two capitals.
Anssi Partanen
“We are extremely proud to be celebrating 100 years since our first flight took off from Helsinki, bound for Tallinn in Estonia. Estonia is an incredibly important market for Finnair, so it is great to be marking both a century since Finnair’s first-ever commercial flight and also 100 years of serving the Baltics, an increasingly popular market for those travelling from the UK and Ireland,” says Anssi Partanen, Finnair European Market Director.
Finnair says that this anniversary comes just days ahead of its relaunch of direct flights between Helsinki and Tartu, Estonia’s second city and a European Capital of Culture 2024.
The statement adds that this new connection will be launched on March 31, and will operate 12 times per week on the airline’s regional ATR aircraft. The new service will also mark the return of commercial air travel to the Baltic city, with Finnair being the only airline to offer direct scheduled flights to and from Tartu.
