Finnair and Qatar Airways Partnership: A Profitable Venture from the Start

Finnair's CEO, Topi Manner, has revealed that the commercial partnership between Finnair and Qatar Airways has been profitable right from the outset. The partnership, which was launched in August last year, has exceeded expectations in terms of demand and performance, with daily services from Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Stockholm to Doha, and a comprehensive codeshare agreement for passenger and cargo capacity.

With three Airbus A330s currently operating on the routes, the majority of tickets are sold as a block to Qatar Airways, with the remainder sold by Finnair as its own tickets. Earlier this year, Finnair reported that the partnership had increased its Middle Eastern capacity eightfold, with a load factor of 74.3% in January.

Although Finnair is considering extending the partnership with Qatar to include other cities, aircraft availability is a limiting factor. However, the airline is satisfied with its current deployment of capacity, which has shifted its focus from East Asia to the USA, India, and the Middle East.

Despite buoyant trading conditions to Qatar, Finnair is experiencing strong demand throughout its network, particularly in pent-up leisure bookings. Manner expects this demand to continue, especially for the upcoming summer period, which should help support revenues.