Finnair and IAG sign freighter-sharing deal
Finnair Cargo and IAG Cargo have signed a block space agreement on freighter flights between Helsinki and London.
Under the agreement, an Airbus A300-600 freighter will fly between Helsinki Airport and London Luton Airport twice a week, linking the two oneworld carriers' networks and providing both with increased coverage.
We are happy to announce the opening of our third hub in London, which is continuing the home market expansion we successfully started by establishing the Brussels hub three years ago, said Antti Kuusenmäki, vice president and head of Finnair Cargo. This partnership with IAG Cargo does not only offer our customers considerably improved connections between Asia and the UK, but also adds tens of new great connections between our Nordic home market, Northern America and Asia.
The new freighter flight will add to the seven daily narrowbody flights Finnair already operates between Helsinki and London Heathrow, as well as the two IAG Cargo operates, also with narrowbodies.
We have once again expanded our network through an asset-light solution and provided our customers with access to an even greater range of destinations, said Steve Gunning, CEO of IAG Cargo. With Finnair's excellent reach into Asia and our strength in the Americas, this deal will open up new markets for our customers while supporting the responsible management of capacity on our network.
This will be IAG Cargo's second block space agreement. In May 2014, it signed a deal to purchase capacity on Qatar Airways Cargo Boeing 777Fs flying between London Stansted Airport and Hong Kong International Airport. 9 (Source: Asia Cargo News)