The 10th anniversary of Japan Airlines’ Helsinki–Tokyo connection was celebrated at Helsinki Airport on Saturday, 1 July 2023. The event held at the departure gate for the flight to Tokyo was attended by invited guests and a large number of passengers preparing the board their flight.
Image: Moomintroll, Little My and Snufkin visited the departure gate of the Tokyo flight.
“The 10th anniversary of Japan Airlines flights at Helsinki Airport is strong evidence of our highly effective cooperation. At Finavia, we are proud to have contributed to developing smooth connections and cultural ties between Finland and Japan. This milestone is another example of our active efforts to promote Finland’s international connectivity,” says Petri Vuori, Senior Vice President, Sales and Route Development at Finavia.
Japan Airlines currently operates direct flights from Helsinki Airport to Tokyo Haneda Airport five days a week.
Image: Petri Vuori, SVP, Sales and Route Development represented Finavia at the event.
His Excellency Fujimura Kazuhiro, the Ambassador of Japan to Finland, also attended the event. He delivered a speech to the audience gathered in the gate area, highlighting the importance of the Helsinki-Tokyo route for the connectivity of Europe and Asia.
Image: His Excellency Fujimura Kazuhiro stressed the importance of route connections between Finland and Japan.
Remarks were also delivered by Ross Leggett, Senior Vice President, Route Marketing of Japan Airlines and Fredrik Wildtgrupe, Senior Vice President, Alliances & Airlines Partnerships of Finnair.
Image: Petri Vuori of Finavia (left), Ambassador Fujimura Kazuhiro, Ross Leggett of JAL and Fredrik Wildtgrupe of Finnair.
Japanese traditions and Finnish culture came together at the airport
At the event, Japanese traditions were represented by the elegant Sakura Queens as well as ornately served Japanese delicacies. The passengers on hand also got to try making origami.
Image: Sakura Queens are cultural ambassadors between Finland and Japan.
Image: Matcha cakes and tea, sourced from Helsinki Airport, were served at the gate of the Tokyo flight.
Image: Passengers got to try their hand at making origami into different shapes.
Image: Sakura Queens instructed passengers in origami.
Finnish culture was represented by Moomin characters. They greeted the passengers and wished them a pleasant journey. Moomintroll, Little My and Snufkin are the most popular Moominvalley residents in Japan.
Image: The Moomins were a hit, especially with younger passengers.
The traditional festivities did not end at the gate area, as the Helsinki Airport community honoured the departing flight to Tokyo with an impressive water greeting that is a tradition in aviation.
Image: Finavia's rescue service organised a spectacular water salute for the departing Tokyo flight.
