Finnair has started Goa to Helsinki flight, twice a week. Until recently, Finnair used to operate charter flights to Goa, but the airline has now decided to have a scheduled flight to the state.
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The airport officials informed that Finnair will operate two weekly flights from Goa to its hub Helsinki in Finland between November 1, 2017 and March 21, 2018. The flight is aimed at travellers from Nordic region, who like to visit Goa during winters because it is very cold in countries like Finland, Norway and Sweden then.
Talking about the flight, Desmond Chacko, general manager for India, Finnair, said, "Goa is a popular winter holiday destination, especially among Nordic customers. This winter season is the first time we operate Goa as a scheduled flight route."
Interestingly, Goa is one of the 19 destinations in Asia Pacific region and only second after Delhi in India to be connected by Finnair. The Finnair flight will take off from Goa on every Monday and Thursday at 8:15 am and will take 8 hours and 50 minutes to reach Helsinki. The flight will take off from Helsinki on every Sunday and Wednesday on 6:50 pm and will take 8 hours and 10 minutes to reach Goa.
Arja Suominen , SVP, Communications and Corporate Responsibility, Finnair, said, "In the summer of 2018, we are going to start a flight to Lisbon, which will be of interest to people in Goa as well."
When asked if Finnair will continue the Goa-Helsinki flight in the winter of 2018, Chacko replied, "It has not been decided as of now."
Finnair connects to 100 destinations in Europe. Its Goa-Helsinki flight will give a good option to local travellers to travel to other parts of Europe through Helsinki. The company officials also mentioned that Finnair will fly an Airbus A330 on Goa-Helsinki route.
