Emirates has launched daily flights between Dubai and Helsinki, with its first service landing at Helsinki Airport on Friday.

Flight EK167 arrived at 13:30 local time. The airline said the route is the only year-round direct link between Finland and the United Arab Emirates, a claim the release did not substantiate with further detail.

The aircraft was met by UAE Ambassador to Finland Amna Fikri, Finavia's Senior Vice President of Route Development Petri Vuori, and Emirates Vice President of Commercial Operations for North and West Europe Pierfrancesco Carino. Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim led the airline's delegation.

Emirates said the inaugural flight carried passengers from more than 20 cities on its network, including Mumbai, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, and Sydney.

Kazim said, "Helsinki is an exciting addition to our global network". He said the route connects Finland with Dubai and Emirates' wider network throughout the year and thanked authorities in Finland and the UAE for supporting the launch.

Vuori said Finavia was pleased to welcome the airline. He said the daily service is a significant addition to Finland's international connectivity, strengthening links with the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Australia. He added that strong air connectivity is essential to Finnish business, trade, tourism, and investment.

The route is operated by an Airbus A350, which Emirates said seats 298 passengers in Business, Premium Economy and Economy classes. The airline described the A350 as the newest aircraft in its fleet.

The schedule, with all times local, is:

EK167: departs Dubai at 08:15, arrives in Helsinki at 14:30.

EK168: departs Helsinki at 16:20, arrives in Dubai at 00:20 the next day.

Emirates said the timings allow onward connections to East and Southeast Asia, West Asia, the Indian Ocean, Africa, the Middle East, the GCC and Australasia.

Emirates also said its tour arm, Emirates Holidays, offers packages to Finland that cover Helsinki and Lapland. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, through the Emirates app or via travel agents.

Source: PR