New direct flight connects sister cities Vantaa and Jinan

Tibet Airlines, the first Chinese airline company to fly to Helsinki Airport, opened a new connection between Vantaa and Jinan, China on the 8th of April. The route is a welcome addition to the growing passenger flow between Finland and China. It is a result of the cooperation between the sister cities of Vantaa and Jinan. Helsinki Business Hub was one of the parties initiating the idea of a direct flight.

For business and leisure travellers alike, China was brought even closer to Finland and Europe in April, when the new biweekly flights by Tibet Airline launched, connecting Vantaa and Jinan. Tibet Airlines is the first Chinese airline company to commence flights to Helsinki Airport. The number of travelers between Finland from China has rapidly grown in the past years, being 835,500 in 2018, and the connection is a welcome addition to the current flight selection. It also reinforces Greater Helsinki’s position as the key link between the EU and Asia.

Opening new possibilities for Asia and Europe

“Finland is the fastest route between Asia and Europe. Opening a connection to a new city and province in China strengthens the current business relations between the two nations, and offers new opportunities for companies and tourists alike. The route connects two high tech hubs, Greater Helsinki and Shandong province, providing unseen possibilities for cooperation, partnerships and trade”, explains Marja-Liisa Niinikoski, CEO at Helsinki Business Hub.

The idea of a direct flight initiated already in 2016 at the Vantaa-Jinan Business Forum, held in Vantaa. Helsinki Business Hub supported the direct flight route project since the very beginning, by helping to connect the right parties in Finland with the corresponding parties in Jinan and Tibet Airlines. Following the close cooperation between the Cities of Vantaa and Jinan, Business Finland and Finavia, the inaugural flight landed successfully at Helsinki Airport on the 8th of April, 2019.

The new route proved to be highly popular from the start, and flights for the first month were fully booked.

The opening ceremony took place on the 9th of April in Helsinki. The route was officially opened by Anne Berner, Minister of Transportation and Communication, Bai Weisan, CEO of Tibet Airlines, CHEN Li, Ambassador of China to Finland, Chinese Ambassador, Martti Lipponen, Deputy Mayor of the City of Vantaa, Marja-Liisa Niinikoski, CEO of Helsinki Business Hub and Jusa Susia, Commercial Councelor & Region Head, Business Finland.

Text: Vera Hallikainen