Finnair, the government backed airline of Finland, will make its inaugural flight between Singapore and Helsinki Monday.
The new route uses its new fleet of Airbus A350 XWBs, a widebody aircraft that claims to use 25-percent less fuel compared to its aluminum long-range competitors, like Boeing’s B777. The aircraft, which first entered the market last year, offers passengers 18-inch wide seats as the standard in economy.
Finnair is the first European airline to fly the aircraft between Europe and Asia. As part of its marketing strategy, Finnair is boasting that the route provides regional travelers with the shortest connection between Asia and Europe, with layovers as little as 35 minutes to major hubs including London, Paris and Amsterdam.
The airline is also hoping to get passengers ready for an experience specific to Finland, including the aircraft design, on board menu, and a Northern Lights-inspired mood lighting.
Finnair will have a total of 19 Airbus A350s in operation, making it the largest investment in the airline’s history. The company aims to double its Asian traffic by 2020, from its 2010 baseline.
The airline is hoping more passengers will be drawn to Helsinki. Earlier this year, it launched “Stopover Helsinki” which allows visitors to stay, as a layover, for anywhere between five hours to up to five days.
IcelandAir has been offering a similar deal to passengers between the U.S. and Europe and in 2014 launched a new campaign, #MyStopover, hoping to capture more passengers and promote its own tourism around Reykjavik.
