Tag Archives: Helsinki

Finnair and Qatar Airways have concluded an agreement to establish a long-term strategic cooperation between Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen and Doha. Finnair and Qatar Airways are exploring opening services also between another European destination and Doha. These services will be supported by a comprehensive codeshare agreement with shared passenger and cargo capacity between both airlines. Customers from the three Nordic cities will benefit from seamless connections via Doha to Qatar Airways’ extensive network of around 100 destinations across Australasia, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The collaboration will also open new destinations and connection opportunities across Finnair’s Nordic network for Qatar Airways’ customers. The services are planned to start between November and December 2022. They will be operated with Finnair’s Airbus A330 aircraft featuring Finnair’s new long-haul cabins, including industry-leading Air Lounge business class seats, a brand-new premium economy travel class and refreshed economy class. The flights to Doha are to be sold and marketed by both Finnair and Qatar Airways as per the schedule below: 7 weekly flights to and from Helsinki 7 weekly flights to and from Stockholm 7 weekly flights to and from Copenhagen Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, said: “As a fellow oneworld member, we enjoy a close relationship with Finnair and these new services to Hamad International Airport are an example of Qatar Airways working with partners for the benefit of our joint customers. This strategic partnership demonstrates our commitment to the Nordic markets and strengthens our position as the leading Middle East carrier in this important region. This partnership will be the foundation for the future expansion here.” HE Al Baker added: “Soon, Doha will be the oneworld hub …

Due to the unrest in Iran, Finnair is not using the Iranian airspace. This causes changes to the traffic plan between Helsinki and Dubai, and we need to cancel some of our flights to/from Dubai between February to April 2020. We are sorry for the inconvenience this situation has caused you and we are doing our best to minimise the effects on you. We are following the situation closely and will update you with new information as it gets available. The following flights will be cancelled between February 1 and March 29, 2020: Helsinki-Dubai at 20.40 (AY1969) (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday), except during the winter holiday season February 15 – February 28 flights will be operated with a fuel stop in Hurghada en route; Dubai-Helsinki at 06.05 (AY1970) (Monday, Friday, Sunday), except during the winter holiday season 15 February – 28 February flights will be operated with a fuel stop in Hurghada en route The following flights will be cancelled between March 29 and April 13, 2020: Helsinki-Dubai at 20.40 (AY1969) (Thursday, Sunday); Dubai-Helsinki at 06.05 (AY1970) (Monday, Friday). You can choose from the following options, if your flight is cancelled: One change free of charge -2 / + 7 days (dep. one day earlier or max seven days later than orig.) to HEL-DXB-HEL flights including AY connecting flights. AY flights only, NOT on any other airline! Partial or full refund without penalty; No additional hotel accommodation or ground transportation expenses shall be paid by AY; Longer flight time for flights to be operated. As we are not using the Iranian airspace, the flight route between Helsinki and Dubai v.v. is longer than usual with fueling stops being taken. Due to …

Matka Nordic Travel Fair, which will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki from January 15 to 19, 2020, has announced an ambitious goal — to be the world’s most responsible tourism event. “The actions taken by Messukeskus to save energy, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce waste and increase recycling help us to work towards our goal of being the most responsible travel-industry event in the world. Our goal is to be 110 per cent carbon neutral in ten years. We already recycle 99 per cent of our waste, and in our catering, we will, in the future, continue to promote vegetarian food and leftover brunches. Already now, 85 per cent of the food we serve at fairs is locally sourced and made from Finnish ingredients. In Finland, we get to enjoy the world’s cleanest tap water, which is why we also encourage our international Matka Nordic Travel Fair visitors to bring their own water bottles to fill on site, instead of drinking bottled water. If necessary, you can also buy a bottle at the fair”, says Anna Suominen, Sales Group Manager at the Matka Nordic Travel Fair. For the first time, the Matka Nordic Travel Fair will feature the Sustainable Travel Competition for exhibitors. The competition jury will review the finalists to select the winner, who will receive a €3,000 prize, which is donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation.  

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) continues to work towards establishing a strong foothold in the Northern European tourism market. Efforts to draw in more visitors from the region will commence this year with its upcoming participation at the Matka Nordic Travel Fair in Helsinki, Finland. Set to take place from January 15 to 19, 2020, the latest edition marks the second consecutive year that SCTDA will be joining the premier global travel event. In 2020, the Authority will showcase Sharjah’s range of diverse tourism offerings – from world-class hotels to exciting adventures and other fun activities to special packages and promos – which are expected to appeal to the Northern European travellers. The five-day Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the largest travel and tourism exhibition in Northern Europe, an important source market for Sharjah’s tourism sector. More than 50,000 visitors and about 20,000 tourism and travel agencies attend the annual international gathering. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “As the largest tourism and travel exhibition in Northern Europe, the Matka Nordic Travel Fair is a significant and strategic platform for us at SCTDA to showcase the emirate’s diverse range of tourism products for visitors and companies in the region. Our participation is part of our continuous efforts to raise Sharjah’s profile as a leading destination that attracts all kinds of tourists from all over the world.” Sharjah welcomed more than 578,000 European travellers in 2018, up 24 per cent from 468,034 tourists recorded in 2017. Joining the SCTDA delegates in the global event are the executives of the Sharjah International Airport Authority, Sharjah Expo, Environment and Protected Areas Authority, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & …

Nordic Travel Fair (MATKA) held from January 16 to 20, 2019 in Messukeskus, Helsinki in Finland this year marked 30 years as the biggest travel industry events in Northern Europe with 940 exhibitors, 86 destinations under the theme ‘hidden treasures.’ The first two days were only for travel industry professionals with workshops and presentations and the last three were dedicated to consumers looking for travel deals and inspiration. MATKA targets travel industry professionals from all around the world. Buyers and suppliers, especially from Finland and Nordic countries find the event valuable. They focused on workshops and networking to boost sales, and on presentations relevant to industry professionals. Sustainable travel and modern sales are highlighted in MATKA 2019. As Nordic destinations is growing among Middle Eastern travellers, MATKA provided a good platform to take a look at these destinations and the travel experiences that are offered for visitors. 2019 had a strong focus on responsible and sustainable travel as well as food tourism with over 70,000 visitors. A number of exhibitors from Middle East has grown in the recent years and in 2019 destinations such as Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah from the United Arab Emirates.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) increased its focus on the Nordic markets with its first appearance at the MATKA Travel Fair in Helsinki held from January 18-21. Featuring more than 80 countries and 900 exhibitors, the fair gave RAKTDA the opportunity to introduce the diversity of the destination to the attending trade and public in the region. Ras Al Khaimah was the only Middle East destination to be featured in the show and the exhibit brought to life the authentic and nature-based Arabian experience on offer for Nordic holidaymakers. Four co-exhibitors joined the Ras Al Khaimah stand, namely, Knight Tours, Royal Gulf Tourism, Hilton Hotels Ras Al Khaimah, and Dubai Parks and Resorts to showcase experiences and accommodation options. Haitham Mattar, CEO, RAKTDA said, “The Nordics is a very important region for us and we have seen significant growth in visitor numbers from the region over the last couple of years. We believe our unique combination of authentic Arabian hospitality, pristine beaches and outdoor adventure pursuits has great appeal to holidaymakers in the Nordics and the MATKA Travel Fair is an excellent opportunity for us to showcase the diversity Ras Al Khaimah has to offer.”

Qatar Airways has opened a new route from Doha to Helsinki, the Finnish capital. His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways, hosted a press conference at Hotel Kämp in the centre of Helsinki following the arrival of the airline’s first flight to the Finnish capital. Qatar Airways is the first Middle Eastern carrier to serve all four Nordic capitals. The new route will also give the people of Finland the opportunity to connect to more than 150 destinations on the airline’s global network via its hub, Hamad International Airport, in Doha. Qatar Airways, already one of the fastest growing airlines in the history of aviation, flies daily to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo and now Helsinki. This will give Finnish passengers the opportunity to travel seamlessly to destinations such as Krabi and the Seychelles, which will launch in December, and Auckland, which will launch on February 5, 2017, with many more new destinations to come.