100 years of Finnair: 100 facts from this charming airline

The 100-day countdown to Finnair’s 100th anniversary celebrations has begun. There have been many interesting developments at the world’s sixth oldest carrier still operating over the century, as you can see.

Here are 100 memorable firsts as the Finnish flag-carrier approaches its 100th birthday:

Finnair was founded on 1st November 1923
Finnair is the sixth-oldest airline in the world that is still in operation (the others are KLM – October 1919; Avianca – December 1919; Qantas – November 1920; Aeroflot – July 1923; Czech Airlines – October 1923)
Finnair was originally named Aero
The airline’s code is AY, which stands for Aero Osake-yhtiö (“yhtiö” means “company” in Finnish)
The airline is the official flag carrier of Finland
Finnair’s colour palette of blue and white is based on the Finnish national flag’s colours of blue and white
During its first year of operation the airline carried a total of 269 passengers
Aero – which became Finnair – received its first aircraft in 1924, a German-made Junkers F13 (the F13 was the world’s first all-metal commercial aircraft)
The Finnair-operated Junker F 13 carried just four passengers, in addition to seating for the pilot and an engineer
As there were no commercial airfields in Finland, the Junkers it flew were seaplanes, using skis in winter and floats in summer
Where it all began: Aero’s Junkers F13 from 1924
Finnair’s first flight was to Tallinn, Estonia in 1924, carrying 162kg of mail
Half of the fleet was requisitioned by the Finnish Air Force and between 1939 and 1940. Half the airline’s passengers from other Finnish cities were children being evacuated to Sweden
During World War Two, Finnair was put under military control and only went back to commercial use in 1944
In 1946, the Finnish State acquired a majority holding in the airline
Aero started using the name Finnish Air Lines on its fleet livery in 1947
In 1947 Aero recruited its first female cabin crew, who flew on domestic routes from Helsinki to Kemi and Kuopio
Finnair joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 1949
Helsinki Airport officially opened in June 1952, and has been Finnair’s home ever since
The Helsinki Olympic games in 1952 increased Aero’s passenger number to over 100,000 for the first time
In 1953 Aero started using the name Finnair, even though it didn’t officially adopt the name until 1968
Finnair’s first flight to London took place in 1954
Finnair’s inauguration flight to London in 1954
Finnair became the first western airline to fly to Moscow, in 1956
In 1960 Aero became the first small airline to enter the jet age, with its new Caravelle passenger jets
In 1961, Finnair added Rolls-Royce Avon-engined Caravelles to its fleet
Finnair became the first airline in the world to operate a jet passenger aircraft with a flight crew of two people, instead of the normal three
Finnair’s Aviation Academy opened in 1964
By 1967, 95% of Finnair’s scheduled flights were operated by jets
High style: Finnair’s 44-seat Convair 340/440 Metropolitan passenger aircraft from 1953
In 1968 Finnair carried a million passengers for the first time in its history
Finnair underwent a brand refresh in 1968 and launched a new brand logo, which is still recognisable today
Finnair flights from Helsinki to New York via Copenhagen and Amsterdam began in May 1969
Finnair’s cabin crew uniform from 1969, designed by Anna-Liisa Nieminen and Nana Suni
In 1975 Finnair received its first wide-body aircraft, the DC-10, which could carry nearly 300 passengers
Finnair started its expansion to Asia in 1976, with direct flights to Bangkok
The carrier launched its first trademark ‘shorter route’ service to Asia in 1976, with direct flights to Bangkok
Finnair first flew over the North Pole in 1983
Finnair was the first airline to operate non-stop flights between Western Europe and Japan when it started flying to Tokyo Narita airport in 1983
Finnair became the official airline of Santa Claus in 1983
Just fabulous: Finnair marked its place in the jet age with this futuristic cabin crew uniform from 1969, designed by Kari Lepistö
In 1986 Finnair was the first airline to acquire satellite telephones, which were fitted to its DC-10 aircraft, enabling passengers to call from the aircraft to anywhere in the world
Finnair received its first Airbus aircraft in 1986
Direct flights from Helsinki to Beijing began in 1988, making Finnair the first Western European airline to offer non-stop flights between Europe and China
Finnair was the launch customer of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in 1989
After years of negotiations Finnair, in 1991 was permitted to fly over Siberia on its direct flights to Tokyo, cutting flight times by three hours
The Finnair Plus programme was introduced in 1992
The first call using a satellite phone installed in Finnair’s fleet of MD-11 aircraft was made on flight AY1507 to Las Palmas
Finnair launched flights to Osaka in 1995, opening up the airline’s second destination in Japan
In 1995, Finnair launched its first website, and in terms of content and scope, the airline says it was one of the most comprehensive in the world offered by any carrier at the time
Finnair’s collaboration with popular Finnish comic characters, the Moomins, began in 1997
Finnair joined the Oneworld alliance 25 years ago, in 1998
In 1998 Finnair became the first airline in Europe to acquire defibrillators
Finnair received its first Airbus A320 series aircraft in 1999
All Finnair’s flights became non-smoking when smoking was prohibited on flights to Tokyo and Osaka in 1999
A key moment for Finnair in 2022, when it launched premium economy, designed with HAECO and Tangerine
Finnair’s flights to Hong Kong first began in 2002
Finnair’s services to Shanghai began in 2003 and it became the only Northern European airline, as well as the only Oneworld airline, to offer direct flights to China’s biggest city
In 2004 Finnair introduced the world’s first mobile phone service that enabled customers to check-in in advance for flights via a text message
Finnair has operated flight AY 666 to HEL since 2006, which has flown numerous times on Friday 13th
Finnair’s long-haul fleet modernisation was initiated in 2007 when it ordered several new Airbus A330 and A340 wide-body aircraft to replace its MD-11 fleet
In 2007 Finnair was the first airline to order the Airbus A350
Finnair partnered with Angry Birds in 2011 to create the “longest ever flight of Angry Birds”
Since 2012, Marimekko, the famous Finnish design-house, has been an integral part of the Finnair air travel experience, with its signature spotted designs appearing on blankets and amenity kits
Finnair celebrated the 90th anniversary of its maiden flight in 2014. By this time there was a Finnair aircraft flying somewhere in the world every hour of the year
In 2015 Finnair was the first European airline to operate the Airbus A350 XWB (and Aircraft Interiors International was on board)
Finnair opted for the Zodiac Cirrus III catalogue seat for its A350 business class, launched in 2015. Key factors in the design of the cabins and lounges were fresh Nordic design and use of the Space Alive concept, developed by Helsinki-based studio, dSign Vertti Kivi. The concept used lighting and physical elements to transform the atmosphere and functions of a space throughout a period of time such as a day or the duration of a flight
In 2017, Finnair increased its passenger numbers by over one million and flew almost 12 million passengers across its global network
In 2018 Finnair introduced internet connectivity to its short-haul European flights
In 2019, Finnair joined the Nordic-led Initiative for Electric Aviation, which supports the development of electric aviation
In 2021 Finnair dismantled and recycled a 21-year-old A319 aircraft at Helsinki Airport – the first commercial airliner to be recycled in Finland
In 2021 Finnair began flying from Stockholm-Arlanda to cater for increased leisure demand during the pandemic
In February 2022, Finnair unveiled its $220 million investment in cabin interiors, with a new sofa-style AirLounge business-class seat (Finnair is launch customer) and its first ever premium economy cabin (Aircraft Interiors International was again on board for the reveal). You can find out all about the AirLounge seat in our in-depth story HERE
AirLounge is a key component of Finnair’s revitalised long-haul experience. Also note the Ultima Thule glass
Before the closure of Russian airspace in February 2022, Finnair flew to more destinations in China and Japan than any other European airline
In 2022 Finnair became the official sponsor of the Finnish National Ice Hockey Team at the 2022 IIHF World Championship
As part of its renewed strategy in 2022 (largely driven by the Russian airspace issue), Finnair launched new routes from Helsinki to Dallas and Seattle in the USA. Details of other initiatives are available HERE
Finnair opened routes from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen to Doha in 2022, as part of its new partnership with Qatar Airways
In 2023 Finnair removed inflight retail from its flights as part of a sustainability drive
In 2023, Finnair teamed up with Karhu, an iconic Finnish footwear and apparel brand, to design an exclusive sneaker for its ground and air crew. Karhu is actually older than Finnair, dating from 1916. As a bonus piece of trivia, Karhu originally had a trademark three-stripe design on its shoes, which was sold to Adidas in 1952. Now an internationally recognised design, the three-stripe motif was sold to Adidas for the equivalent of 1,600 Euros and two bottles of whisky
Finnair crew are strutting towards the centenary with these exclusive Karhu trainers
To celebrate Finnair’s centenary, the airline has partnered with the Finnish postal service to create a special stamp
Finnair has been named the ‘Best Airline in Northern Europe’ for 13 years running by Skytrax
Finnair aims to be a carbon-neutral airline by the end of 2045
Finnair’s Platinum Wing lounge at Helsinki Airport is one of the only airport lounges to offer a sauna
Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala’s glassware, Ultima Thule, was introduced on Finnair’s New York route. The classic design is still being used today in Finnair’s business-class cabins
The melting spring ice in northern Finland was the inspiration for the Iittala Ultima Thule line of textured glassware used on Finnair flights
Finnair has painted two of its aircraft with well-known characters from The Moomins: Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden
Finnair showing its fun side with the Moomins livery
Finnair’s current cabin crew uniform was designed by the Finnish artist Ritva-Liisa Pohjalainen
Currently, Finnair only faces direct competition on two of its long-haul routes – Shanghai and Tokyo Haneda
Finnair serves a million litres of blueberry juice each year, a drink that has become Finnair’s signature onboard drink
Finnair uses ambient light settings on its aircraft to recreate the Northern Lights in the cabin
During the Covid-19 pandemic Finnair sold its business-class inflight meals in Finnish grocery stores
Finnair is the only airline to offer fully-lie flat yet non-recline business class seats for long-haul flights
Two Finnair aircraft – an Airbus A330 and A350 – were painted in Marimekko’s instantly recognisable and bold designs
Finnair has been consistently named as one of the world’s safest airlines
Finnair’s refreshed long-haul economy cabin. More Marimekko? Yes please!
The Finnish government owns a majority stake in Finnair
Many of Finnair’s long-haul inflight dining options are a fusion of Nordic and Asian dishes
Nordic Regional Airlines (Norra) is 40% owned by Finnair
Finnair employs around 1,700 cabin crew and 900 flight crew, all based in Finland
Finnair repainted one of its Airbus A319s into a ‘silver bird’ retro 1950s Convair livery as part of its 90th anniversary celebrations
The airline has partnered with the Finnish postal service to create a special commemorative stamp to mark 100 years of service
Finnair has a staff choir, named the Finnair Singers
Finnair flies to 14 destinations within Finland
Finnair has scheduled flights to 89 international destinations
Finnair operates widebody aircraft on its short-haul European flights to London and Amsterdam
During the pandemic, when aircraft were grounded, Finnair launched virtual reality flights to Lapland
Finnair is part of the Transatlantic Joint Business with British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, American Airlines and Level
Finnair currently operates a fleet of 79 short and long-haul aircraft
Finally, Finnair has a signature cocktail named Northern Blush