Flight connections with Finnair on two of its shortest routes, Helsinki to Turku and Helsinki to Tampere, are to be complemented with a bus connection to help reduce the airline’s CO2 footprint.
Flights to the two domestic destinations have been on hold since spring 2020 due to the global pandemic. Although the routes have been operated with energy-efficient ATR aircraft, their emissions load per passenger is clearly heavier than on other routes.
“Turku and Tampere are an important part of our network,” said Perttu Jolma, VP, Traffic Planning at Finnair. “Travelling on these routes focuses on international exchange travel, and we want to continue to offer the best range of connections to customers in the regions.”
He added that combining different modes of transport is an important tool in reducing carbon emissions from transport. “It is also in line with Finland’s national emission reduction targets.”
While the scheduled flight time to Turku and Tampere is 35 minutes, the actual flight time is even shorter, about 25 minutes. Such short flights are usually operated only in areas where the terrain is difficult and the flights cross sea areas or mountains, for example. Intermodality is a growing trend, and there is already a wider debate in Europe on how to limit the number of short-haul flights.
“We want to offer travellers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint by switching to a bus connection. We guarantee an onward connection to the booked destination even in the event of a possible disruption in the bus connection,” said Jolma.
According to a study based on Finnair’s customer data, the majority of those departing from Turku or Tampere already used a non-flight connection to arrive at Helsinki Airport in 2019, when the flights were operated with several daily frequencies.
Bus stops will be located at both Tampere and Turku airports as well as the respective city centres. Bus connection tickets will only be sold together with connecting flights.
