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The only direct flight connection between Europe and Sapporo, Japan, is now operated from Helsinki

Article published
16.12.2019 at 10:40
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Santa claus and a group of guests at Finnair's route openning
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The newest direct flight connection between Finland and Asia was opened on Sunday, 15 December, when Finnair’s first flight departed for Sapporo. The flight connection, which is operated by Finnair, is the only direct scheduled flight between Europe and Sapporo.

In winter, flights are operated from Helsinki to Sapporo on Sundays and Thursdays, and from Sapporo to Helsinki on Mondays and Fridays. During the summer season, flights will be operated from Helsinki to Sapporo on Sundays and Wednesdays, and from Sapporo to Helsinki on Mondays and Thursdays. The flight time is around nine hours, and the route is operated with A330 aircraft.

”The Sapporo route is important for Finland and Finavia as it connects an important economic and tourism area directly to Finland and further on to Europe via Helsinki Airport. “Sapporo offers Finns new business and leisure opportunities in Japan,” says Petri Vuori, Finavia’s Vice President, Sales and Route Development, who was on the first flight to Sapporo.

Sapporo is Finnair’s fifth destination in Japan. In addition to Sapporo, Finnair also flies to Tokyo Narita Airport, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. From March 2020, Finnair will also operate flights to Haneda Airport in Tokyo in addition to Narita Airport.

During the ongoing winter season, 28 weekly direct flights are being operated from Helsinki Airport to various cities in Japan. For the 2020 summer season, there will be 45 weekly direct flights. In addition to Finnair, Japan Airlines also flies to Japan from Helsinki Airport. In January–November 2019, the total number of passengers on the Japan routes was 782,000 (+10.5%).

Read about destinations from Helsinki Airport and other Finavia airports.