We’ll soon have even more ways to fly to Europe when Finnair comes to Melbourne. In this new daily service, passengers will board a spacious Airbus A350, and fly to Helsinki via Bangkok. This new, long-haul route will offer travellers connections to around 90 destinations from Helsinki itself, as well as additional locations from the Bangkok stopover. Flights are now available to book, and the first one is scheduled for October 25, 2026, subject to government approval.
Finnair is landing in Melbourne
These new flights will add an extra 203,000 seats between Melbourne and Europe each year.
“We are very excited to introduce [this] service to a new continent,” said Christine Rovelli, Chief Revenue Officer at Finnair. “By connecting Helsinki and Melbourne, two cities on opposite sides of the world, we can offer a truly unique bridge between the northern and southern hemispheres.”
Flights are scheduled to depart from Melbourne in the afternoon, with a stop in Bangkok in the evening, and land early in Helsinki the next day. This arrival time will align with Finnair’s morning departures across Europe. Meanwhile, return flights should leave Helsinki shortly after midnight. They would arrive in Bangkok in the afternoon, and reach Melbourne the following morning.
“Additional flights to Europe and Thailand will help give Australian holiday makers looking for either a cosy European winter or a warm beach getaway even more choice,” said Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus.
Finnair is the only airline that offers year-round direct flights to Lapland, making it a great choice for travellers seeking the Northern Lights, the Arctic wilderness or Santa Claus. It’s also a member of the Oneworld Alliance, which will serve you well if you’re looking to add to your Qantas points.
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