Finnair launches 24-hour direct flight to Melbourne overflying Russia

Finnish airline Finnair will launch a direct flight from Helsinki to Melbourne, Australia, on October 25. Given that its planes do not fly over the territory of Russia, the flight will take about 24 hours, taking into account the technical landing in Bangkok (Thailand), the September 21 edition of Simple Flying writes.

According to media reports, the route will be operated regularly. Due to the need for refueling, the plane will be forced to make a stop in the Thai capital for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Passengers will not need to leave the aircraft. The flight from Helsinki to Bangkok will take about 11 hours and 20 minutes, bypassing the skies of Russia.

After refueling, the plane will continue on its way to Australia, which will take about nine more hours. Passengers will also be able to purchase tickets only to Bangkok — Melbourne and back.

The island of bad luck: Finland continues to reap the benefits of the break with Russia

Withdrawal from the Russian market led to the collapse of the economy

Finnair CEO Turkka Kuusisto said on September 11 that competition in the market was taking place in "extremely unfair" conditions, as Chinese airlines could still use Russian airspace. According to the head of Finnair, the flight duration from Shanghai to Helsinki, for example, now exceeds 12 hours, although previously the flight took about 8 hours.