Finnair celebrated its century anniversary on March 20, 2024 since it first took to the skies in 1924. The airline – then known as Aero O/Y – took off on its maiden flight on the Junkers F 13 D-335 Regenpfeifer aircraft, carrying 162kg of mail from Helsinki, Finland to Tallinn, Estonia. The German-built seaplane is capable of carrying four customers along with mail and cargo, along with skis and floats for wintry and water landings.
“We are extremely proud to be celebrating 100 years since our first flight took off from Helsinki, bound for Tallinn, Estonia,” said Finnair European market director Anssi Partanen.
Finnair’s first flight on the Junkers F 13 D-335, March 20, 1924
Today, the airline offers up to 10 daily flights between the Nordic and Baltic capital cities. Finnair will launch a new connection between Helsinki and Estonia’s second city Tartu, famous for its prestigious 17th century university that shares its namesake, the University of Tartu.
Partanen added: “Estonia is an incredibly important market for Finnair, so it is great to be marking both a century since Finnair’s first-ever commercial flight and also 100 years of serving the Baltics – an increasingly popular market for those travelling from the UK & Ireland.”
The new connection will launch on March 31, 2024 at 12 times per week on its regional ATR aircraft.