To fulfill predicted demand, Finnair is wet-leasing an Airbus A320 for its summer operations.
The aircraft and crew will be leased from Danish firm DAT and will operate from June to October, the Finnish airline said on May 24, 2022. From June until October, the aircraft and crew will fly between Helsinki (HEL) and Copenhagen (CPH), as well as between HEL and Oulu, Finland (OUL), and Lisbon (LIS).
“We are preparing for a busy summer season, and this agreement with DAT supports our target of ensuring stable and reliable operations as travel is now picking up”, says Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair.
Airlines, airports, and other aviation services around the world have been straining to keep up with the surge in travel demand after COVID-19 limitations were lifted.
DAT also offers regional routes in Denmark, Norway, Italy, Germany, and Finland, in addition to ACMI services.
Finnair had previously announced that it was leasing some of its own planes and staff to other European airlines.
Finnair, whose business model involves connecting Asia and Europe via its hub in Helsinki, has been heavily hurt by Russia’s airspace ban and has adjusted its network to the west as a result.
Finnair said on April 27, 2022, during a first-quarter results presentation that it was leasing aircraft with crew to British Airways and the Lufthansa Group, offering jobs for 600 Finnair employees for the summer.
“This generates income for us and provides work for a significant number of pilots, cabin crew, and technical staff,” the company explained in the Q1 report. “Thanks to these arrangements, we are able to avoid laying off Finland-based employees during the summer.”
It announced at the time that it would “consider both further wet lease opportunities and the sale of individual aircraft.”
During the first quarter, the carrier sold two Airbus A321 aircraft and has subsequently sold two more A321 aircraft.
