On Monday, 13th October, Finnair temporarily suspended operations of eight of its Airbus A321 aircraft due to an issue with their seat covers. Finnair had been informed by the manufacturer (unnamed) of the original seat covers of the 209-seat aircraft that the impact of washing processes on the fire protection of the seat covers had not been verified in the required manner.
The significance of this oversight should not be underestimated. This safety issue means that Finnair has had to replace approximately 1,700 seat covers across the eight A321s before they can be returned into service. The work has required Finnair to cancel approximately 70 A321 flights since 13 October, which has affected the travel plans of around 11,000 customers.
Today Finnair confirmed that the work is progressing and that it is preparing to return the eight A321s into service by the end of the month. The first aircraft has already resumed operations, with a further five aircraft due to be back in service within a week.
Finnair says the seat covers in question were manufactured by a ‘long-standing partner’, based on specifications provided by the original seat manufacturer. The airline has indicated that the new covers are being sourced from multiple suppliers.
The airline stated that the covers have been washed in accordance with the information received from the original seat manufacturer. Washing is a standard cleaning method for aircraft seats and is used across the rest of Finnair’s fleet – typically every two years.
“We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption this has caused to our customers. The safe operation of our flights is the foundation of everything we do. Once we received information that the impact of washing on the fire protection of the seat covers had not been verified in the required manner, it was clear that the aircraft had to remain on the ground until the issue was resolved,” stated Pekka Korhonen, SVP for technical operations at Finnair.
Finnair has been working to minimise operational disruption by leasing two aircraft with crew to operate part of its network. However, some individual flight cancellations may still occur until the full A321 fleet is back in use. Customers may also experience overbookings or changes in the operating airline. Finnair will contact affected customers directly if there are any changes to their flights.
