To increase cargo capacity and to meet demand between Europe and Asia, the Finnish flag carrier converted the cabins of two A350s for cargo use. Previously, Finnair has only carried cargo in the hold.

Passenger traffic has reduced to a minimum due to the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic, but Finnair’s air cargo is still operating during this exceptional period.

Last week, the carrier operated more than 10 return flights on its A350 aircraft to Tokyo Narita, Seoul, Osaka, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

These cargo flights carried national emergency supplies to both Finland and Estonia, coronavirus samples from private healthcare provider Mehiläinen and critical supplies from other companies and organisations, as well as normal cargo, such as fresh fish.

The flights are arranged both as charter as well as Finnair’s own commercial operations.

All cargo flights are flown on utilising Finnair’s A350 fleet and in order to increase cargo capacity and due to high demand, the cabins of two A350s were converted for cargo use.

“Although the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on our passenger traffic, Finnair still maintains cargo connections between Europe and Asia,” said managing director of Finnair Cargo, Mikko Tainio.

“Our committed team works around the clock to ensure that our customers receive the protective equipment and other supplies needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.”

He added: “We are working tirelessly on our cargo operations during these exceptional times.

“Cargo traffic is crucial at the moment, and I am glad that we have been able to implement a new business model and quickly create a new freight network. I want to thank the entire Finnair team for their incredibly hard work.”

Visit cargo.finnair.com for more information.