Airline profile · Europe

Finnair

FinlandFull-service carrieroneworld memberSince 1923

AYIATA code
FINICAO code

Finnair (IATA AY, ICAO FIN) is Finland's national airline and a oneworld member, flying from its hub at Helsinki Airport to Europe, Asia and North America. Founded in 1923 as Aero O/Y, it carried 11.9 million passengers in 2025 with a fleet of 79 aircraft. The State of Finland is its majority owner.

Founded
1923
First flight
1924
Headquarters
Vantaa, Finland
Country
Finland
Main hubs
Helsinki Airport (HEL)
Airline type
Full-service carrier
Alliance
oneworld
Loyalty
Finnair Plus
Ownership
Finnair Oyj is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. The State of Finland is the majority shareholder; the Finnish government gave its holding as about 55.8% of shares and votes in October 2023.
Callsign
FINNAIR
Website
finnair.com

How travel agents book Finnair

GDS distribution

Finnair content is still sold through the GDSs, but EDIFACT bookings for travel starting in Europe and many other markets carry a cost recovery surcharge. Some content is NDC-only: Light fares were removed from EDIFACT in 2022, and Finnish domestic itineraries were withdrawn from EDIFACT from May 2023.

NDC

Finnair has run an NDC programme since 2016. NDC content is available through the Amadeus Travel Platform (agreement announced May 2019), Sabre (rollout from March 2023), certified NDC aggregators and a direct NDC API. Finnair and Travelport signed an NDC agreement targeting go-live by the end of Q3 2024; in August 2024 the two firms said they were still working on the integration.

Direct channels

Direct channels are finnair.com and the Finnair app. Agencies can book NDC content without the surcharge through FAST (Finnair Agency Sales Tool), an NDC agency portal powered by TPConnects and launched in July 2022.

Notes for travel agents

Finnair announced the EDIFACT surcharge in September 2021 at EUR 12 per fare component for itineraries starting in Europe, effective from July 2022. It rose to EUR 15 per bound globally from 1 September 2023 and has been extended to markets in Asia, the Middle East and the US. In 2026 Finnair's agent news listed a further extension to Australia and New Zealand. An end-2025 goal to phase out EDIFACT, announced in 2021, had not been carried out as of 2026.

On ReservationHub

ReservationHub gives agencies GDS content from Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport plus NDC and low-cost channels in one platform. See the full list on our integrations page.

History of Finnair

Finnair began as Aero O/Y, founded on 1 November 1923. Its first flight, on 20 March 1924, took four passengers plus mail and cargo from Helsinki to Tallinn in a Junkers F 13 floatplane. The Helsinki to Tallinn route is still flown today, with up to ten daily flights in 2024.

Over the following decades the airline grew into Finland's flag carrier under the Finnair name and became a member of the oneworld alliance. Its long-haul network uses Helsinki as a connecting point between Europe and Asia, flown in recent years with Airbus A350s and A330s.

Finnair was an early mover in airline retailing. It started its NDC work in 2016, partnered with Amadeus on NDC in 2019, and in 2021 announced a surcharge on legacy GDS bookings to push agencies towards NDC. The closure of Russian airspace in 2022 lengthened many of its Asian routes. The airline marked its centenary in 2023 and, in March 2026, ordered 18 Embraer E195-E2s to renew its regional and narrow-body fleet.

Milestones

  1. 1923Aero O/Y, the company that became Finnair, founded on 1 November.
  2. 1924First flight, Helsinki to Tallinn, on 20 March.
  3. 2016Started its NDC programme.
  4. 2019Renewed its Amadeus agreement and became the driver airline for NDC on the Amadeus Travel Platform.
  5. 2022EDIFACT surcharge introduced in July and the FAST NDC agency portal launched.
  6. 2023Finnair NDC content rolled out on Sabre from March; EDIFACT surcharge raised to EUR 15 per bound in September.
  7. 2026Ordered 18 Embraer E195-E2s in March, with deliveries from 2027.

Fleet

Airbus A350-900 Airbus A330-300 Airbus A321 Airbus A320 Airbus A319 Embraer E190 ATR 72

Aircraft types in service as of 2025

Finnair had 79 aircraft at 31 December 2025: 18 A350s, eight A330s, 29 A319/A320/A321s and 24 regional aircraft (12 ATRs and 12 Embraer E190s) flown by partner Norra. The last A350 on order was due in late 2026. In March 2026 Finnair ordered 18 Embraer E195-E2s (deliveries 2027 to 2029, with 16 options and 12 purchase rights) and planned to buy up to 12 used A320/A321ceos to replace its oldest A319s and A320s.

Network and hubs

Finnair's network runs through Helsinki Airport, connecting Finland and the Baltic region with Europe, Asia and North America. The airline's 2026 schedule added new European routes, Toronto from summer 2026 and Melbourne, via Bangkok, from October 2026.

In 2025 Finnair carried 11.9 million passengers. Regional and domestic flights are operated for Finnair by Norra under the AY code, and oneworld membership extends the network to partner airlines' destinations. Russian airspace has been closed to Finnair since 2022, which lengthens flights to Japan, Korea and China.

Finnair: frequently asked questions

What are Finnair's airline codes?

Finnair's IATA code is AY and its ICAO code is FIN, with the radio callsign FINNAIR. Regional flights operated for Finnair by Norra are also sold under the AY code, so agents see a single carrier code on tickets and in GDS displays.

Does Finnair charge a GDS surcharge?

Yes. Bookings made through the EDIFACT channel of a GDS carry a cost recovery surcharge. It was announced in 2021 at EUR 12 per fare component, introduced in July 2022, raised to EUR 15 per bound from 1 September 2023 and later extended to more markets. NDC and FAST bookings avoid it.

How can travel agents book Finnair NDC fares?

Agencies can book Finnair NDC content through the Amadeus Travel Platform, Sabre, certified NDC aggregators, a direct connection to Finnair's NDC API, or the FAST web portal. Finnair has said its NDC channels carry extra price points and bundles that are not offered over EDIFACT.

Which alliance is Finnair in?

Finnair is a member of oneworld. Its loyalty programme, Finnair Plus, earns Avios and tier points, and Finnair Plus tiers map to oneworld Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald status, so frequent flyers get benefits across oneworld airlines.

Who owns Finnair?

Finnair Oyj is a listed company in which the State of Finland holds a majority stake. The Finnish government put its holding at about 55.8% of shares and votes in October 2023, when it said it would take part in Finnair's planned share issue.

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Sources

  1. Finnair — Financial statements release January–December 2025 (February 2026)
  2. Finnair — Fleet renewal update 2026 (investor presentation)
  3. Finnair — Stock exchange release: narrowbody fleet renewal with 18 E195-E2s (March 2026)
  4. Finnair — Fleet renewal update and AGM: key takeaways (March 2026)
  5. Finnair — Finnair in brief (investors)
  6. Finnair — About Finnair NDC (agent site)
  7. Finnair — Next steps on Finnair NDC journey (agent news)
  8. Finnair — EDIFACT surcharge increased to EUR 15 in September (agent news, 2023)
  9. Finnair — News for travel agents (listing)
  10. Finnair — Finnair to end all legacy EDIFACT distribution by end of 2025 (September 2021)
  11. Finnair — Introduces next steps towards modern distribution (January 2023)
  12. Finnair — Towards modern NDC distribution: agreement with Travelport (agent news)
  13. Amadeus — Amadeus and Finnair drive NDC (May 2019)
  14. TPConnects — Finnair launches NDC-based agency booking portal (July 2022)
  15. Travel News Asia — Finnair NDC content on Sabre GDS (March 2023)
  16. TTR Weekly — Travelport and Finnair upgrade travel content (August 2024)
  17. The Beat — Finnair prioritizes collaboration over content withdrawal (October 2024)
  18. ITTN — Finnair marks 100th anniversary of maiden flight (2024)
  19. Finnish Government — State of Finland preparing to participate in Finnair's planned share issue (October 2023)
  20. oneworld — Finnair member page
  21. IATA — Airline code search (Finnair)
  22. FAA — JO 7340.2 Contractions, ICAO aircraft operator designators

Profile updated by the ReservationHub team. Airline details change: confirm schedules, fares and policies with the airline before booking. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.